Open AccessStressful Life Events and Behavior Change: A Qualitative Examination of African American Women's Participation in a Weight Loss Program
Author(s) -
Tiffany L. Cox,
Christie Zunker,
Brooks C. Wingo,
Wendy K. Jefferson,
Jamy D. Ard
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2011.1080
Subject(s) - stressor , coping (psychology) , psychology , intervention (counseling) , clinical psychology , african american , gerontology , weight loss , purpose in life , qualitative research , behavior change , developmental psychology , medicine , social psychology , psychiatry , social science , ethnology , sociology , obesity , history
We qualitatively assessed how life stressors affected African American women's participation in a weight reduction program. A sample of 9 women, who completed a behavioral lifestyle intervention, participated in individual, structured, in-depth interviews. Life stressors, ranging from personal illness to changes in employment status, had varied effects on participation. Some women coped with life stressors by using them as a motivational tool to improve their own health, while others reported limited ability to devote time to attend meetings or engage in the prescribed lifestyle changes due to life stressors. A critical key to improving weight loss outcomes for African American women may be using intervention strategies that teach positive coping skills to alter maladaptive responses to life stressors.