Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College

College of Graduate Studies

First Advisor

Gayenell S. Magwood

Second Advisor

Mathew Gregoski

Third Advisor

Carolyn Jenkins

Fourth Advisor

Lynette Gibson

Abstract

Cardiometabolic risk (CMR) refers to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) or diabetes, two of the leading causes of death in the United States. CMR factors include elevated glucose, blood pressure, and lipids. Lifestyle factors including physical inactivity, smoking, and poor dietary habits such as low fruit/vegetable consumption also contribute to CMR. Notably, African American women (AAW) have a high rate for several CMR factors including obesity, physical inactivity, and hypertension. Furthermore, AAW are an understudied population in research focusing on PA health promotion and studies examining PA associations with CMR. The aims of this dissertation study were to examine PA and CMR among AAW. Manuscript one is an integrative review focusing on PA intervention strategies among AAW. This dissertation compendium also consists of two studies that focus on PA and CMR among AAW. Manuscript two details a secondary data analysis of REACH Risk Factory survey data from two coastal communities in South Carolina. Manuscript three examines the feasibility, acceptability, and implementation of community-based screening with the use of a modified REACH Risk Factor survey. The third manuscript also examines PA and CMR in a geographic region not covered by REACH survey data. The findings of this dissertation (a) revealed low rates of AAW meeting recommendations for PA and fruit/vegetable consumption, (b) demonstrated the feasibility of CMR screenings using a modified REACH Risk Factor survey, (c) revealed the need for further CMR screening research with a larger sample size.

Rights

All rights reserved. Copyright is held by the author.

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