No sweat: African American adolescent girls' opinions of hairstyle choices and physical activity

Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors Trends Among Black High School Students, 2009-2019

Purpose: Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors are key contributors to the rising rates of childhood obesity. Though many adolescents are aware of the benefits of exercise, youth in America are not sufficiently active. This study examined changes in physical activity (PA), physical education (PE), and sedentary behaviors among Black adolescents. Methods: Pooled data from Black high school students (n = 2,233) who completed the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) from 2009-2019 in Broward County, Florida, were analyzed. Logistic and linear regression models examined trends in selected physical activity indicators. Results: There were no significant changes in recommended physical activity levels (p = .829), daily physical activity (p = .44), PE class attendance (p = .054), or the average number of days of PA engagement (p = .304) for this time period. However, there was a significant decline in daily PE class attendance, the average number of days of PE attendance, and excessive television watching (p < .001). There were also increases in excessive video gaming and computer usage (p = .002). Conclusion: Adolescents' physical activity behaviors have not declined substantially over the past decade. However, sedentary behaviors, such as computer use and video gaming, have markedly increased. Results presented here should assist in broadening the understanding of Black adolescents' views on weight and physical activity and developing local programs and interventions to promote regular physical activity aimed at this population.

Interactions Between Race/Ethnicity and Gender on Physical Activity Among US High School Students: Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2011-2017

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Most adolescents do not meet the recommended amount of physical activity. Female, Black, and Hispanic students have significantly less physical activity than White male students. Physical activity of Asian or Multiple Race students have not been reported. The purpose of this research is to estimate differences in physical activity by race/ethnicity and gender among US high school students to examine whether Black Hispanic, Asian and multiple race female students and 11th grade and 12th grade female students have significantly lower physical activity levels.

DESIGN/METHODS

This study is a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the high school Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a biennial, nationally representative survey of US high school students. Four waves of data were pooled from 2011 to 2017 YRBS (N = 59,397). Dependent variables were the number of active days per week a student was physically active, and whether the student was physically active for zero, 5 or more, or 7 days per week. Data were analyzed using R software.

RESULTS

Asian students and students in grade 12 had the fewest number of physically active days per week. Female students were less physically active than male students. Significant negative interactions were measured in female gender by race/ethnicity (Black or Hispanic) and female gender by grade levels for the number of physically active days per week and for zero physically active days per week. The gender disparity in physical activity was significantly more pronounced among Black and Hispanic students. The reduction in physical activity by grade level was also significantly greater among female students.

DISCUSSION

Efforts to increase physical activity are especially needed among Asian, Black, and Hispanic, and upper-grade female students.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Further research is needed to identify explanations and solutions for the significantly lower physical activity among Asians, female minority students, and students in upper grades.

"Mane"taining: How Black Adolescent Girls Maintain Their Cultural Hair Practices in Physical Education Class

BACKGROUND

Although hair has been found to be a barrier to physical activity (PA) among adult black women, the research exploring this phenomenon among black adolescent girls is deficient. This presents a concern because physical inactivity can lead to obesity and a host of comorbidities. This qualitative study explores hair experiences of black adolescent girls and how they maintain their cultural hair practices in hopes of promoting PA among this at-risk population.

METHODS

Focus groups were conducted for 37 black adolescent girls attending a public high school in Newark, New Jersey.

RESULTS

The participants reported increasing hair knowledge via social media, sociocultural influences of family and culture, and the driving force of their peer group, a concept identified in the focus groups as Hair IQ (intelligence quotient). Hair IQ helped the participants learn how to maintain their hair practices before and after PA. These factors combined to develop a framework described as the "Mane"taining model.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest the "Mane"taining model may provide pathways for engaging in PA for this population and serve as an example for adult black women who face similar barriers to PA.

Hair Maintenance and Chemical Hair Product Usage as Barriers to Physical Activity in Childhood and Adulthood among African American Women

Qualitative studies have identified haircare practices as important culturally specific barriers to physical activity (PA) among Black/African American (AA) women, but quantitative investigations are lacking. Using the Study of Environment, Lifestyle and Fibroids data among 1558 Black/AA women, we investigated associations between hair product usage/hair maintenance behaviors and PA during childhood and adulthood. Participants reported childhood and current chemical relaxer and leave-in conditioner use. Self-reported PA included childhood recreational sports participation, leisure-time PA engagement during adulthood, and, at each life stage, minutes of and intensity of PA. Adjusting for socioeconomic and health characteristics, we used Poisson regression with robust variance to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each PA measure for more vs. less frequent hair product use/hair maintenance. Thirty-four percent reported ≥twice/year chemical relaxer use and 22% reported ≥once/week leave-in conditioner use at age 10 years, and neither were associated with PA at age 10 years. In adulthood, ≥twice/year chemical relaxer users (30%) were less likely (PR = 0.90 [95% CI: 0.79-1.02]) and ≥once/week leave-in conditioner users (24%) were more likely (PR = 1.09 [95% CI: 0.99-1.20]) to report intense PA compared to counterparts reporting rarely/never use. Hair product use/maintenance may influence PA among Black/AA women and impact cardiometabolic health disparities.

Natural Hair: a Vital Component to Black Women's Health

Hair is a barrier to physical activity engagement for Black women. Eurocentric and straight hairstyles have shown to compromise Black women's health; yet, the health implications of these hair practices have garnered little attention. This study examines the impact of natural hair on physical activity behaviors and health profiles among Black women. Sixty-nine Black women (ages 18-51) affiliated with a large predominately White institution completed demographic and hair questionnaires, Godin's Leisure-Time Exercise questionnaire, Rosenburg's self-esteem scale, and the Bankhead-Johnson hair-esteem scale. Body composition was assessed using waist circumference and body mass index. Descriptive statistics including mean, standard deviation, and percentages were employed to determine health status in each measure. Correlation analysis determined associations between each variable. Black women with natural hair were physically active, and had positive hair- and self-esteem profiles. Body composition was high; however, BMI metrics used are inappropriate for Black women. The authors conclude that natural hair may be a catalyst for Black women to improve mental and physical health. Afrocentric approaches that include affirmations of natural hairstyles are recommended to increase the effectiveness of health and physical activity promotion efforts that target Black women.

Sweat and Hair: Online Interventions for Improving Physical Activity in African-American Women

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy of an informational website in improving patient knowledge on hair care and exercise.

Design

Pre- and post-exposure surveys, focusing on exercise and hair care practices, were administered to subjects after 1 h of browsing a dermatologist-designed hair care and exercise website.

Setting

Winston Salem State University, a historically Black university in North Carolina, USA.

Participants

22 African-American women (AAW) aged between 18 and 54 years.

Measurements

The outcome measures of the study include patient demographics, hair care practices, knowledge of hair/care disorders, exercise habits, and website feedback.

Results

There were 22 women enrolled in the study with 95% identifying as African-American. The average age was 28 ± 12 years. A total of 80% (16/20) of subjects reported exercising less than 150 min per week, and 36% of these patients reported modifying their hairstyle to accommodate physical activity. 85% learned new information about hair and scalp disorders from the educational material on the website, and 81% had increased understanding of their hair health. 91% reported that they would return to the website.

Conclusion

An informational website can be an effective tool to educate AAW on hair and scalp disease, as well as appropriate hair care practices and fitness goals.

Affective Responses to Intermittent Physical Activity in Healthy Weight and Overweight/Obese Elementary School-Age Children

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of intermittent physical activity (2-min bouts of varying intensities) on psychological mood and enjoyment in elementary school-age children and to examine the effect of weight status on these psychological outcomes. Methods: A total of 39 children (healthy weight, n = 26; overweight/obese, n = 13) completed 4 experimental conditions in random order, which consisted of 8 hours of sitting interrupted with 20 two-minute low­-, moderate-, or high-intensity activity breaks or 20 two-minute screen-time breaks. Mood was assessed using the Feeling Scale immediately following each break. Enjoyment was assessed using the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale immediately following 10 and 20 breaks. Results: Mood was significantly higher during the sedentary versus active conditions (P < .01). Overweight/obese children reported lower mood scores compared with healthy weight children at the initiation of the low- (P < .05) and high-intensity conditions (P < .001) but experienced improvements in mood throughout the day in all 3 active conditions (P = .02). Enjoyment was significantly higher after completing the active versus sedentary conditions (P = .02). Conclusion: These findings suggest that both healthy weight and overweight/obese children felt better immediately after engaging in screen-time breaks but subsequently rated the activity breaks as more enjoyable compared with screen-time breaks.