Browsing by Author "Keller, Colleen"

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    Hair As a Barrier to Physical Activity among African American Women: A Qualitative Exploration
    (Frontiers Media, 2018) Joseph, Rodney P.; Coe, Kathryn; Ainsworth, Barbara E.; Hooker, Steven P.; Mathis, LaTanya; Keller, Colleen; Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health
    Background. African American (AA) women face unique sociocultural barriers to physical activity (PA) engagement. Such barriers may contribute to their low PA levels and high cardiometabolic disease burden. One particular barrier reported among AA women in recent research is that being physically active can have an undesirable effect on the hairstyles and hair maintenance of many AA women. However, the underlying mechanisms contributing to this barrier have not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to explore hairstyle maintenance as a barrier to PA among AA women and identify effective strategies to overcome this barrier in the design of a culturally relevant PA intervention. Methods. A qualitative study design was used. Data were collected from focus groups conducted with 23 sedentary and obese AA women (M age = 38.1 years, M BMI = 39.8 kg.m2). Content analysis was used to analyze these focus group data. Results. Three key themes emerged from the qualitative narratives of participants: 1) Impact of Perspiration on Hair and Hairstyle Maintenance, 2) Image and Social Comparisons, and, 3) Solutions to Overcome Hair-related Barriers to PA. For Impact of Perspiration and Hairstyle Maintenance, participants described how perspiring while engaging in PA negatively impacts many of their hairstyles. Participants further discussed how time and monetary burdens associated with PA-related hairstyle maintenance further contributed to this issue. Findings for the theme of Image and Social Comparison focused on how an AA woman’s hairstyle is an important part of the image and the social comparisons made by non-AAs regarding the hairstyles and maintenance practices of AA women. For Solutions to Hairstyle Maintenance Barriers, participant described a variety of potential styling techniques that may help alleviate PA-related maintenance concerns, including braids, locks, and natural hairstyles. However, no styling technique was uniformly endorsed by all study participants. Conclusions. Findings highlight the significance of hair in the AA community and provide further insight on appropriate intervention design strategies to overcome this sociocultural barrier to PA. Future research is needed to corroborate and further expand on our findings.
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    Investigation of the Cultural Context of Sugars Consumption Behavior in Low-Income Mexican-American Women
    (Digital Scholarship@UNLV, 2017) Benitez, Tanya J.; Keller, Colleen; Coe, Kathryn; Tasevska, Natasha; Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health
    Despite the recent federal dietary recommendations to limit consumption of added sugars to less than ten percent of daily caloric intake, there is a gap in published literature examining the influence of food preparation behaviors on sugars consumption among low-income Mexican-American women. The purpose of the study was to describe the cultural context of Mexican-American women in procuring, preparing and presenting added sugars in their families’ diets. Five focus groups were conducted to examine sugars consumption behavior in thirteen overweight/obese low-income Mexican-American women ages 27-40 years. Themes that emerged during the sessions included: changes in food procurement to include high-sugar foods and sugar-sweetened beverages following migration from Mexico to the U.S.; children’s influence on what was bought and consumed in the household; changes in household diet when relatives prepared food; and influence of family traditions/extensive social gatherings and traditional foods during holidays on sugars consumption. Culturally relevant factors influencing sugars consumption were identified. We report strategies that can be used in public health interventions to reduce sugars intake among low-income Mexican-American women; such strategies must acknowledge cultural and contextual factors of social ties, the role of family members in influencing diet, and importance of maintaining traditional foods and cultural celebrations.
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    The Use of Family Rituals in Eating Behaviors in Hispanic Mothers
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2018-01) Coe, Kathryn; Benitez, Tanya; Tasevska, Natasha; Arriola, Anel; Keller, Colleen; Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health
    Food rituals often abruptly change when Hispanic families migrate to the United States. This report describes changes in rituals of food procurement, preparation, and presentation (food-PPP) in Hispanic women following migration to the United States. Focus groups and face-to-face interviews were conducted with 13 low-income, overweight/obese Hispanic women 27 to 40 years of age. Content analysis was used to analyze cultural and contextual sources for food-PPP. Changes in rituals and traditions in food-PPP occurred, including materials and ingredients for traditional meals. Food rituals may play a role in healthful eating and could, therefore, serve as leverage points for interventions designed to promote healthy eating behaviors.