The Heart Failure Patient Foundation Position Statement on Research and Patient Involvement.

BACKGROUND: Heart Failure (HF) is a growing global public health problem affecting approximately 64 million people worldwide. OBJECTIVES: The Heart Failure Patient Foundation developed a position statement to advocate for adult patients with HF to be an active participant in research and for HF leaders to integrate patients throughout the research process. METHODS: A review of the literature and best practices was conducted. Based on the evidence, the HF Patient Foundation made recommendations regarding the inclusion of adult patients with HF throughout the research process. RESULTS: Healthcare clinicians, researchers and funding agencies have a role to ensure rigorous quality research is performed and implemented into practice. Inclusion of adult patients with HF throughout the research process can improve the lives of patients and families while advancing HF science. CONCLUSIONS: The HF Patient Foundation strongly advocates that patients with HF be involved in research from inception of the project through dissemination of findings to improve patient outcomes.

Influences on Long-Term Physical Activity in African American Women: A Scoping Review.

African American women experience a disparity of preventable long-term illness than non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Asian, and Hispanic women. Participation in routine physical activity (PA) is recommended to prevent and manage long-term illness, yet African American women are the least physically active. There is a paucity of literature addressing long-term PA in this population; therefore, a scoping review of the literature was conducted to assess what is known about physically active African American women who successfully participate in regular forms of long-term PA. The Socioecological Model was used to organize a synthesis of factors influencing PA at the individual, social, environmental, and political levels. A search of 7 electronic databases and reference lists produced 7 studies published in English between 2000 and 2022. Participants shared perspectives of influences at multiple levels. At the individual level, modeling PA behaviors was noted as a means for changing the cultural perspective of PA; future interventions that engage physically active African American women as advocates and promoters of PA may be useful. Social level influences were the most impactful and served as a channel for belonging and attachment while performing PA; culturally appropriate interventions may include supporting a sense of belonging. At the environmental level, financial constraints and unsafe environments for subgroups influenced the ability to perform PA; future research might consider interventions based on demographics and their impact on participants' ability to perform PA. No influences were mentioned by participants at the political level.

A qualitative study of influences on long-term physical activity in physically active African American women.

Performing routine physical activity (PA) is one of several measures that may be taken to prevent chronic illness; however, African American (AA) women are among the least physically active groups in the United States. The purpose of this study was to gain perspectives of AA women who are physically active and understand how they continue long-term PA. In this qualitative descriptive study, we interviewed 14 AA women using researcher-developed open-ended questions. Transcription was analyzed through content analysis. The socioecological model guided the organization of themes that emerged from the data. Individual level themes were: managing my health and lifestyle to remain physically active. Social level themes were: incorporating PA in social exchanges with family, friends, and coworkers and establishing mutual support of PA among family and friends. Environmental level themes were: using the neighborhood and work environments as venues encouraging PA. There were no emerging themes at the political level; however, there were findings at the environmental level that could be interpreted as policy-level issues. Knowing specific factors that influence long-term PA may help us with the development of interventions to increase PA in AA women.

Methodological Issues of Research with African-American Women: Influences on Long-Term Physical Activity in Physically Active African-American Women.

This paper reports the methodological challenges encountered while performing a descriptive, qualitative study examining the perspectives of African-American women who successfully maintained long-term physical activity. The socioecological model was used to expand on the dynamics pertaining to the long-term physical activity of 14 African-American women between 35 and 65 years of age. These women were recruited in 2 Midwestern American states and had been physically active for more than 6 months at the time of the study. Content analysis of themes revealed factors influencing physical activity at the individual, social, environmental, and political levels. Methodological challenges the student researcher encountered were choosing the appropriate framework to guide the study, recruiting participants who met the inclusion criteria, and proficiently transcribing and organizing the responses for data analysis using qualitative analysis software. The reflections described in this paper may provide insight to challenges and possible solutions for new researchers to consider when developing a research project.