Stressful Life Events and Behavior Change: A Qualitative Examination of African American Women's Participation in a Weight Loss Program

Authors

Tiffany L. Cox, University of Alabama at BirminghamFollow
Christie Zunker, University of Alabama at BirminghamFollow
Brooks C. Wingo, University of Alabama at BirminghamFollow
Wendy K. Jefferson, University of Alabama at BirminghamFollow
Jamy D. Ard, University of Alabama at BirminghamFollow

Abstract

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.

Keywords

African American Women, Life Stressor, Weight Loss, Coping, and Qualitative Research

Publication Date

5-1-2011

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2011.1080

Recommended APA Citation

Cox, T. L., Zunker, C., Wingo, B. C., Jefferson, W. K., & Ard, J. D. (2011). Stressful Life Events and Behavior Change: A Qualitative Examination of African American Women's Participation in a Weight Loss Program. The Qualitative Report, 16(3), 622-634. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2011.1080