We have been contacted by a research team at the University of Texas at Austin who, under the direction of Dr. Eun-Ok Im, is conducting an Internet study on the physical activity attitudes among diverse ethnic groups of middle-aged women (40-60 Y/O) -- especially Asian American, African American, Hispanic, and non-White Hispanic women.
The survey will begin by asking each participant a series of eligibility questions. We are looking for participants with specific characteristics. If the sampling quota for a specific group is reached, the participant will receive a message that states so. Study participants will be reimbursed with a gift certificate of 10 dollars per Internet survey, and an additional gift certificate of 50 dollars per online forum discussion (6 months).
The survey project is eMAPA, a NIH/NINR funded study (1R01NR010568-01) entitled "Ethnic Specific Midlife Women's Attitudes Toward Physical Activity". Other details from the researchers are below.
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BACKGROUND
The changing racial and ethnic makeup of the U.S. will require health professionals to practice with cultural competence in areas such as promotion of physical activity, where cultural beliefs may mediate health promotion behaviors. Although the benefits of physical activity are now widely accepted, midlife women, especially ethnic minority women, have low participation rates in physical activity, and prevalence rates of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and hypertension, and all-cause mortality among ethnic minority women (that can be effectively reduced by increasing physical activity) have been reported to be much higher than those of White midlife women. A plausible reason for the low participation rate is that the women's ethnic-specific attitudes toward physical activity have rarely been incorporated into relevant interventions.
Eun-Ok Im, PhD, MPH, RN, CNS, FAAN, School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin and her colleagues are conducting a study to explore ethnic differences in midlife women's attitudes toward physical activity. The purpose of this study is to explore attitudes of midlife women from four ethnic groups [Hispanic, Non-Hispanic (N-H) White, N-H African Americans, and N-H Asians] toward physical activity while considering the relationships between their attitudes and their actual participation in physical activity within the ethnic-specific contexts of their daily lives. Data will be gathered via Internet survey and ethnic- specific online forums to allow for a national sample.
STUDY PARTICIPATION & ELIGIBILITY
You are eligible to participate in this study if you are a midlife women
aged 40 to 60 years old who do not have any mobility problems; who can read
and write English; who are online; and whose self-reported ethnic identity
is Hispanic, non-Hispanic (N-H) White, N-H African American, or N-H Asian.
Data will be collected through the Internet from Feb. 1, 2008 to May 31,
2011. Methods for the data collection include an Internet survey among 500
midlife women in the U.S. on the Internet and four ethnic-specific online
forum discussions among about 30 midlife women per ethnic group recruited
among the Internet survey participants.
Your involvement will consist of the following: (a) about 30 minutes are
usually needed to complete the Internet survey questionnaire; and (b) the
online forums will be conducted for 6 months, should you agree to
participate in the additional online forum discussion. Your participation is
asynchronous (you can visit the online forum site and read and post messages
at your convenience).
You will receive a gift certificate of 10 dollars for filling out the
Internet survey, and an additional gift certificate of 50 dollars for
participating in the additional online forum (only those who participate in
the additional online forum for 6 months will be provided with this
additional gift certificate). To get reimbursed for the online forums, you
have to post at least one message per topic. For more information, please
visit at our website (http://mapa.nur.utexas.edu/MAPA/) and/or contact us.
CONTACTS
Wa Cheng Chan,
Research Assistant,
School of Nursing, University of Texas at Austin
1700 Red River, Austin, TX 78701
E-mail: wacheng.chan@yahoo.com
Eun-Ok Im, PhD, MPH, RN, CNS, FAAN, Professor
School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin
1700 Red River, Austin, TX, 78701
Phone: (512) 475-6352
website: http://buda.nur.utexas.edu/EOIM/
E-mail: eim@mail.utexas.edu
Project Website: http://mapa.nur.utexas.edu/MAPA/
