The purpose of this study is to describe physical activity patterns among African American women based on day of the week. We hypothesized that African American women would participate in significantly less total and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on weekends compared to weekdays.

1. • Baseline data from the Sumter County on the
Move! walking intervention.
• Quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study
utilizing social network-driven group
intervention.
• Participants attended an in-person session for
anthropomorphic measurements, self-
administered questionnaires, and a brief
orientation to the intervention.
• Physical activity was measured objectively
using an ActiGraph accelerometer.
• A minimum of 3 days of wear with 10 hours of
wear time per day was required.
• Linear regression models were used to analyze
differences between weekday and weekend
total PA and MVPA.
Patterns of Physical Activity among African American Women
Participating in a Walking Intervention Study
Sarah M. Piperato, M.S.,1 Melinda Forthofer, Ph.D,2 Brent Hutto, MSPH,1 Patricia A. Sharpe, Ph.D, M.P.H.,1 Sara Wilcox, Ph.D1
1. University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States., 2. University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC, United States.
Results Methods/Analysis
• According to the 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance System 32% of African American adults
engage in no leisure time physical activity and 66% of
African American adults are not meeting physical
activity recommendations.
• African American women report barriers related to
socioeconomic status, familial obligations, and low
prioritization of physical activity.
• U.S. adults engage in less physical activity on weekdays
compared to weekends, on average.
• Examining physical activity behaviors among African
American women may provide greater insight into the
cause of physical activity disparities within this group.
Background
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to describe physical
activity patterns among African American women
based on day of the week. We hypothesized that
African American women would participate in
significantly less total and moderate-to-vigorous
physical activity on weekends compared to weekdays.
Conclusion
African American women participate in less total
PA and MVPA on weekends compared to
weekdays as well as Sundays compared to
Saturdays. Socio-cultural barriers to physical
activity may be playing a role in these
discrepancies. Greater insight into differences in
motivation and prioritization of PA among
African American women may aid in
development of more effective, targeted PA
interventions.
Average minutes of physical activity on Weekdays vs. Weekends
Physical Activity
Minutes per Day of Physical Activity
Mean (SD)
Weekday
n = 137
Weekend
n = 137
p-value
Total 330.8 (117.7) 298.0 (119.9) 0.0229*
Moderate-to-vigorous 14.9 (15.9) 9.6 (12.1) 0.0023*
Average minutes of physical activity on Saturday vs. Sunday
Physical Activity
Minutes per Day of Physical Activity
Mean (SD)
Saturday
n = 123
Sunday
n = 107
p-value
Total 325.7 (128.8) 281.1 (102.7) 0.0121*
Moderate-to-vigorous 13.1 (17.1) 8.4 (9.8) 0.0186*