ASSESSING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG OLDER MINORITY WOMEN: FOCUS GROUP RESULTS 1566

Older, minority women may be less physically active than other segments of the U.S. population; although, little is known about the types of activities in which these women participate. In developing appropriate measurement tools for specific populations, qualitative methodologies (i.e., focus groups) are often an important first step. To develop physical activity assessment instruments, we conducted focus groups with 40 African-American and 46 Hispanic women aged 35 and older to determine: 1) types of physical activities performed, and 2) perceptions about physical activity. Subjects participated in two focus groups, and tapes were transcribed and coded to identify major themes. Results indicate that women primarily participated in activities related to household chores, family care, community involvement, and occupation. Walking was seen as important to include in surveys. Further, gender and culturally-specific activities such as African dancing or cultural celebrations were viewed as important to assess. Many activities performed by participants were unstructured and intermittent. Participants had negative perceptions of sporting, leisure, and free-time activities, and many perceived these activities as being male-oriented and often inaccessible because of time and financial constraints. Modification of existing physical activity instruments to accurately reflect older minority women's unique lifestyles are clearly warranted.