Date of Conferral

6-23-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Education and Promotion

Advisor

Dr. Shawnte Elbert

Abstract

African American women residing in rural communities have seen substantial increases in preventable diseases resulting from obesity. The research problem addressed in this study surrounded the perspectives that African American women have towards initiating a fitness program. The purpose of this study was to explore those perspectives utilizing a sample population of African American women living in Salisbury, North Carolina. This study embraced the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) created by Prachaseree et al., (2021) and the Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1991) as the conceptual frameworks. Three research questions guiding this study were: What specific barriers do African American women consider to be present when initiating a fitness program, how does fitness knowledge play a role in initiating a fitness program, and what are the attitudes towards fitness to control obesity for African American women? This study utilized a basic qualitative design. Data was collected from 10 participants through telephone interviews. The findings revealed that procrastination, timeframe, self-motivation, work-life balance, and food costs were the greatest barriers to initiating a fitness program. Participants had adequate knowledge of the results of prolonging fitness initiation, and that more support from their physicians could provide more clarity about what they should be doing. Finally, it was found that having a strong support system and a workout partner would increase their chances of successfully implementing a fitness program. Future recommendations from this study are directed to African American places of worship, African American personal trainers, and healthcare providers.

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