Environmental correlates of walking may be particularly salient for African American women because of race-based residential segregation, which may make them more likely to live in neighborhoods that do not support physical activity. This study uses data being collected in an ongoing study of 259 African American women at risk for cardiovascular disease. In the study, the women are receiving a home-based walking intervention. In the NIH-funded intervention study, social variables are being collected such as self-efficacy, social support and sense of community, along with body mass index. This study will allow researchers to link environmental measures of the women’s neighborhoods, such as walkability, access and aesthetics, developed using geographic information system (GIS) technology, to the personal data from the ongoing study. Adherence to the walking program intervention will be examined as related to the environmental and social variables. Knowledge gained from this study may be used to incorporate salient environmental factors along with personal attributes into interventions to optimize physical activity behaviors in African American women.
