Attitudinal changes toward exercise in mexican american women.

BACKGROUND: This experimental study was designed to examine the attitude changes and exercise adherence of a group of sedentary minority women. METHOD: Fifty sedentary Mexican American women participated in a 9-month, biweekly education and exercise program that was preceded by a 6-month program initiation composed of weekly interactions to facilitate trust between participants and researchers. RESULTS: Compared to Mexican American and Caucasian control groups, the experimental participants displayed significant changes in scores on the Exercise Benefits and Barriers Scales (EBBS) at three, six, and nine months. Adherence to the physical activity program was 84%. At pre-test, the Mexican American participants and controls displayed significantly lower EBBS scores than the Caucasian controls. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study are examined in light of existing reports on the facilitation of attitudes toward exercise, exercise adherence and health promotion particularly in regard to understanding the barriers to physical activity for minorities. The findings of this study are particularly important given the paucity of research about health promotion for individuals who belong to minority groups.