Promoting physical activity for low-income minority women in primary care

To examine the effects of a primary-care weight management intervention on physical activity (PA) among overweight/obese women.

This randomized controlled trial included 139 women (92% African American). The effects of a physician-delivered tailored intervention were compared with standard care. Repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine changes in PA (measured by a 7-day physical activity recall) and physical fitness (measured by heart rate recovery following exercise).

Although the intervention group demonstrated an increase in PA, this did not differ significantly from standard care. A significantly greater proportion of intervention participants (90%) achieved current PA recommendations compared with standard care (77%), P<.03.

These results provide novel information suggesting that a physician-delivered intervention may have limited effectiveness for increasing PA among this at-risk population.