Barriers and facilitators to being physically active on a rural U.S. Northern Plains American Indian reservation.

Lisa Jahns,Yan Liu,Ann Wadsworth,Charles Morin,Leander McDonald

doi:10.3390/ijerph111112053

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to identify barriers to and facilitators of physical activity among American Indian adults living on a rural, U.S. Northern Plains reservation using the nominal group technique (NGT). NGT is a method of data generation and interpretation that combines aspects of qualitative (free generation of responses) and quantitative (systematic ranking of responses) methodologies. Adults participated in one of two NGT sessions asking about either barriers to (n = 6), or facilitators of (n = 5), being physically active. Participants nominated and ranked 21 barriers and 18 facilitators. Barriers indicated lack of knowledge of how to fit physical activity into a daily schedule, work, caring for family members, and prioritizing sedentary pursuits. Other responses included environmental barriers such as lack of access and transportation to a gym, unsafe walking conditions, and inclement weather. Facilitators to following recommendations included knowledge of health benefits of physical activity and the perception of physical activity as enjoyable, including feeling good when working out. Environmental facilitators included being outdoors walking and biking as well as parks and exercise facilities. Responses provided direction for locally designed community-based programs to promote facilitators and decrease barriers to individual’s engagement in physical activity.

Highlights

40% of American Indian adults are obese [1] and American Indians have the highest prevalence of diabetes in the United States [2]
The objective of the present study was to identify barriers to and facilitators of physical activity among American Indian adults living on a rural, Northern Plains reservation
Six adults participated in the barriers session and five participated in the facilitators’ session

Summary

Introduction

40% of American Indian adults are obese [1] and American Indians have the highest prevalence of diabetes in the United States [2]. Regular physical activity is associated with maintenance of a healthy body weight and decreased risk of some chronic diseases [5,6,7], yet most American Indian adults get either inadequate or no regular activity [1,8,9,10,11,12]. A recent systematic review of physical activity levels of Native Americans in the U.S and Canada synthesized results from 89 studies [12]. They found that based upon self-reported activity, 27.2% (95% CI 26.9–27.5) of individuals met recommendations, 22.1% (95% CI 21.8–22.4) had inadequate activity, and 47.9% (95% CI 47.6–48.2) were not active. When objective measurements such as pedometers and accelerometers were used, only 9% of individuals met recommendations [12]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion