Search

BackgroundHalf of all adults in the United States do not meet the level of recommended aerobic physical activity. Physical activity interventions are now being conducted in the workplace. Accessible technology, in the form of widespread usage of cell phones and text messaging, is available for promoting physical activity. ObjectiveThe purposes of this study, which was conducted in the workplace, were to determine (1) the feasibility of implementing a bilingual 12-week Text4Walking intervention and (2) the effect of the Text4Walking intervention on change in physical activity and health status in a food service employee population. MethodsBefore conducting the study reported here, the Text4Walking research team developed a database of motivational physical activity text messages in English. Because Hispanic or Latino adults compose one-quarter of all adults employed in the food service industry, the Text4Walking team translated the physical activity text messages into Spanish. This pilot study was guided by the Physical Activity Health Promotion Framework and used a 1-group 12-week pre- and posttest design with food service employees who self-reported as being sedentary. The aim of the study was to increase the number of daily steps over the baseline by 3000 steps. Three physical activity text messages were delivered weekly. In addition, participants received 3 motivational calls during the study. ResultsSPSS version 19.0 and R 3.0 were used to perform the data analysis. There were 33 employees who participated in the study (57.6% female), with a mean age of 43.7 years (SD 8.4). The study included 11 Hispanic or Latino participants, 8 of whom requested that the study be delivered in Spanish. There was a 100% retention rate in the study. At baseline, the participants walked 102 (SD 138) minutes/day (per self-report). This rate increased significantly (P=.008) to 182 (SD 219) minutes/day over the course of the study. The participants had a baseline mean of 10,416 (SD 5097) steps, which also increased significantly (P=.017) to 12,540 (SD 5149). They significantly improved their performance on their aerobic fitness test (P

BackgroundHispanic adults in the United States are at particular risk for diabetes and inadequate blood pressure control. Physical activity improves these health problems; however Hispanic adults also have a low rate of recommended aerobic physical activity. To address improving physical inactivity, one area of rapidly growing technology that can be utilized is text messaging (short message service, SMS). A physical activity research team, Text4Walking, had previously developed an initial database of motivational physical activity text messages in English that could be used for physical activity text messaging interventions. However, the team needed to translate these existing English physical activity text messages into Spanish in order to have culturally meaningful and useful text messages for those adults within the Hispanic population who would prefer to receive text messages in Spanish. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to translate a database of English motivational physical activity messages into Spanish and review these text messages with a group of Spanish speaking adults to inform the use of these text messages in an intervention study. MethodsThe consent form and study documents, including the existing English physical activity text messages, were translated from English into Spanish, and received translation certification as well as Institutional Review Board approval. The translated text messages were placed into PowerPoint, accompanied by a set of culturally appropriate photos depicting barriers to walking, as well as walking scenarios. At the focus group, eligibility criteria for this study included being an adult between 30 to 65 years old who spoke Spanish as their primary language. After a general group introduction, participants were placed into smaller groups of two or three. Each small group was asked to review a segment of the translated text messages for accuracy and meaningfulness. After the break out, the group was brought back together to review the text messages. ResultsA translation confirmation group met at a church site in an urban community with a large population of Hispanics. Spanish speaking adults (N=8), with a mean age of 40 (SD 6.3), participated in the study. Participants were engaged in the group and viewed the text messages as culturally appropriate. They also thought that text messages could motivate them to walk more. Twenty-two new text messages were added to the original database of 246 translated text messages. While the text messages were generally understood, specific word preferences were seen related to personal preference, dialect, and level of formality which resulted in minor revisions to four text messages. ConclusionsThe English text messages were successfully translated into Spanish by a bilingual research staff and reviewed by Hispanic participants in order to inform the use of these text messages for future intervention studies. These Spanish text messages were recently used in a Text4Walking intervention study.

Collaboration between Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) scholars and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) scholars is crucial to efficiently advance and disseminate nursing science. Also, DNP-PhD collaboration can help achieve priorities outlined in the recent National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) Strategic Plan. The purpose of this series of case studies is to describe exemplars of ongoing DNP-PhD collaborations across three NINR-funded trials (1 completed, 2 ongoing) testing physical activity interventions for women at risk for cardiovascular disease. In our three physical activity intervention trials for women, we categorized examples of DNP-PhD collaboration by the four phases of the team-based research model (development, conceptualization, implementation, and translation). Across all three trials, DNP and PhD scholars contributed successfully to all phases of research in an iterative manner. Future work should focus on expanding DNP-PhD collaboration in behavioral trials, which can inform adapted, contemporary models of iterative DNP-PhD collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engaging in regular physical activity is a key component for maintaining a healthy weight and preventing overweight and obesity. Obesity continues to be a concern globally, especially for women, and women are less physically active than men. This systematic review examined current research on physical activity interventions designed for healthy community dwelling women and assessed the effects of those interventions on physical activity and body composition. Three author-developed data collection tools were used to extract and examine study variables. For studies with suitable data, effect sizes were obtained. The initial search identified 1,406 titles published between 2000 and 2012, of which 40 randomized clinical trials met inclusion criteria. Of these 40 studies, 16 had a physical activity intervention that did not have a diet component and 24 had a physical activity intervention along with a diet component. The overall weighted mean effect was d = .21, 95% CI [0.06, 0.36] for physical activity outcomes (n = 18 studies) and d = - .16, 95% CI [ - 0.22, - 0.09 ] for body composition outcomes (n = 24 studies). Both physical activity interventions without and with a diet component were effective in promoting physical activity and improving body composition. Physical activity interventions without a diet component were more effective than physical activity interventions with a diet component at promoting physical activity. The most effective interventions need to be adapted for dissemination into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]