Evaluating psychosocial and physical activity outcomes following an intervention among Filipino Americans

• Published in: Health promotion perspectives Vol. 11; no. 2; pp. 210 - 218
• Main Authors: Bhimla, Aisha, Power, Ksenia, Sachs, Michael, Bermudez, Allegra, Dinh, Jessica, San Juan, Nicholas, Ma, Grace X
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Iran Tabriz University of Medical Sciences 01.01.2021
• Subjects: asian american; Asian Americans; Behavior; Cardiovascular disease; Chronic illnesses; Community centers; community-based; Data collection; Diabetes; Education; Educational materials; Ethnic factors; Exercise; Filipino Americans; Hispanic Americans; Hypertension; Intervention; Lifestyles; Medical personnel; Minority & ethnic groups; Motivation; Original; Participation; Physical activity; Physical fitness; Physical training; Population; Psychological aspects; Questionnaires; Rank tests; Social interactions; Social support; Workshops; United States > US; New Jersey; Physical activity; Asian American; Community-based
• ISSN: 2228-6497; 2228-6497
• DOI: 10.34172/hpp.2021.26

Physical activity (PA) is a strong contributor to enhancing a healthy lifestyle and preventing numerous chronic diseases. As ethnic minorities engage in low levels of PA, psychosocial and activity-based interventions for sustaining PA are crucial. The 6-month intervention incorporated culturally tailored educational workshops and weekly PA classes at a community center. Educational workshops were led by six trained community health workers (CHWs). Participants (n=37) completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires regarding PA related self-efficacy, outcome expectations, social support, enjoyment, self-regulation, goal setting, and overall PA. Following the intervention, study participants exhibited increases in weekly PA levels. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test revealed higher median scores for Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES), Identified Regulation, and Intrinsic Motivation. Positive changes were observed for Physical Outcome Expectations, Social Outcome Expectations, Self-Evaluative Outcome Expectations, Physical Activity Enjoyment, Social Support for Exercise Scale - Family, Social Support for Exercise - Friends, and Exercise Goal-Setting. Community-based PA interventions may provide potential benefits to Filipino Americans, an ethnic Asian minority group, in identifying exercise benefits, developing proper exercise goals, increasing motivation, promoting PA behavior, and facilitating long-term PA adherence.