Minority Health and Health Equity Archive

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Author: search.filters.author.Wilbur, JoEllenSubject: search.filters.subject.black

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    Community-based research: Barriers to recruitment of African Americans
    (2004) Dancy, Barbara L; Wilbur, JoEllen; Talashek, Marie; Bonner, Gloria; Barnes-Boyd, Cynthia
    The elimination of health disparities for African Americans requires culturally relevant, empirical knowledge, which in turn requires including African Americans in research studies. However, power-difference barriers and conceptual barriers continue to inhibit the recruitment of African Americans. The purpose of this article is to define and discuss certain barriers to the recruitment of African Americans into research studies and to present culturally and contextually sensitive strategies to overcoming these barriers. Power-difference barriers reflect unequal authority and often generate mistrust. Conceptual barriers reflect researchers’ need for better understanding about African Americans. Effective strategies include collaboration with the community through a community advisory board and conducting community-based participatory action research. Also, integrating alternative conceptual frameworks with mainstream frameworks may reduce researchers’ ideological assumptions about African Americans. To promote optimal recruitment of African Americans, researchers must be aware of power difference barriers and conceptual barriers and move toward active collaboration with African American communities.
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    Correlates of Physical Activity in Urban Midwestern African-American Women
    (2003) Wilbur, JoEllen; Chandler, Peggy J; Dancy, Barbara; Lee, Hyeonkyeong
    Background: African-American women are at higher risk than white women of cardiovascular disease and stroke. In addition, fewer African-American women reap the cardiovascular benefits of exercise, because of low physical activity. The study goals were to identify personal, social environmental, and physical environmental correlates of physical activity of urban dwelling, Midwestern, African-American women and to obtain their recommendations for increasing exercise in their communities. Methods: A face-to-face interview (Women and Physical Activity Survey) covering personal, social environmental, and physical environmental correlates of physical activity was administered to 399 volunteer African-American women aged 20 to 50 years, living in Chicago. Physical activity was measured with questions on lifestyle and planned leisure-time activity (exercise) from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Results: The women were from a wide socioeconomic spectrum of education and income. Forty-two percent of the women met current recommendations for moderate or vigorous physical activity; 48% were insufficiently active; and 9% were inactive. The following groups of women were more likely to be physically active: women with at least a high school education; women with perceived good health; women who knew people who exercise; and women who viewed the neighborhood as safe. These findings were statistically significant. Conclusions: Interventions that target urban African-American women must address the safety of the physical environment and personal and social environmental correlates of physical activity, and they should focus especially on inactive women who have less than a high school education or perceive themselves to be in poor health.