Physical Activity Barriers & Facilitators In Underrepresented Minorities: Preliminary Quantitative Outcomes From A Mixed Methods Study

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) has been shown to prevent chronic illness, yet many adults fail to meet PA guidelines. This is particularly true for underrepresented racial minority (URM) adults, who face social inequities that prevent participation. Understanding the factors that influence PA is valuable for improving participation. PURPOSE: To document barriers & facilitators to PA among urban Midwestern URMs using a theory-driven, mixed methods study. METHODS: A cross-sectional study framed on the socio-ecological model was conducted to identify factors influencing PA among URMs completing low (LLPA) & high (HLPA) amounts of leisure-time PA. Participants completed a survey assessing weekly PA, barriers, & facilitators. Surveys used included the International PA Questionnaire, PA Barrier Questionnaire (PABQ), Exercise Identity Scale (EIS), Self-Report Behavioral Automaticity Index (SRBAI), & PA Social Support Scale. MANOVA was used to test the primary outcome measures with follow-up ANOVAs. Between-subject effect sizes were also used to detect differences. RESULTS: Twenty-nine URMs (LLPA, n = 11; HLPA, n = 18; 44.83% Black, 41.37% Latino) completed the survey. HLPA group reported higher total (HLPA = 1,642.39 ± 1,073.98 min/wk, LLPA = 735.00 ± 521.94 min/wk; p = 0.02, d = 1.00) & leisure-time (HLPA = 448.89 ± 227.43 min/wk, LLPA = 44.55 ± 48.40 min/wk; p = 0.001, d = 2.21) PA. MANOVA showed a nonsignificant, practical effect size difference (F(1,27) = 1.18, p = 0.37; Wilk's λ = 0.61, partial η2 = 0.40). PABQ revealed the LLPA group had more personal barriers (HLPA = 27.61 ± 7.88, LLPA = 36.64 ± 12.53; p = 0.02, d = -0.92). Nonsignificant, effect size differences favoring the HLPA group were detected for EIS (HLPA = 32.00 ± 6.61, LLPA = 27.45 ± 7.90; p = 0.11, d = 0.64), SRBAI (HLPA = 13.44 ± 4.60, LLPA = 10.18 ± 5.06; p = 0.09, d = 0.68), informational support (HLPA = 15.44 ± 6.16, LLPA = 13.18 ± 4.19; p = 0.29, d = 0.41) & instrumental support (HLPA = 13.00 ± 8.33, LLPA = 7.18 ± 6.82; p = 0.06, d = 0.75). CONCLUSIONS: Both groups reported achieving PA guidelines but through different PA domains. The LLPA group faced several personal barriers to PA participation. Facilitators such as increasing social support & lowering PA costs could increase PA. Addressing barriers & leveraging facilitators are crucial for increasing PA participation.