Increasing Physical Activity Among Overweight Women With Mobility Disabilities. (PEP)

Personalized Exercise Programme (PEP) I: Physician Referral Approach to Increasing Awareness and Sustainability of Physical Activity for Overweight Adults With Mobility Limitations.

This study aims to increase physical activity among overweight African-American women with mobility limitations.

Regular, sustainable physical activity can have a dramatic effect on reducing obesity and other secondary conditions and increasing quality of life. People with mobility limitations have a higher level of physical inactivity resulting from numerous personal and environmental barriers to physical activity participation. This project will evaluate the feasibility of increasing physical activity among overweight individuals with mobility limitations through physician-referrals to a personalized exercise programme at the Chicago-based National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD).

The awareness group received a physician-recommendation to exercise an informational brochure, and pedometer.

The lower support group received arm 1 plus monthly newsletter, weekly personalized exercise support via telephone.

The higher support group received arm 1 plus arm 2 plus a face-to-face monthly exercise support group.

Physician referred overweight and obese clients to 24 month personalized exercise programme at the U. of Illinois, Chicago

Physical activity was assessed using the Physical Activity and Disability Scale (PADS), the Barriers to Physical Activity and Disbility Scale (B-PADS), (Rimmer et al 2000) and the Mobility Limitation score (Velozo et al 1999).

Confirmed using the Quality of Wellbeing scale (Anderson et al 1989), and CARDIA-2 scale, an 11-item assessment (Allen et al 2001).

Inclusion Criteria: 18 years or older English speaking Self-reported mobility limitation BMI greater than or equal to 27 Receiving care at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC) Medical Center Sedentary Exclusion Criteria: did not receive physician approval to participate

Rimmer JH, Rauworth A, Wang E, Heckerling PS, Gerber BS. A randomized controlled trial to increase physical activity and reduce obesity in a predominantly African American group of women with mobility disabilities and severe obesity. Prev Med. 2009 May;48(5):473-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.02.008.

PEP Toolkit consists of a Yamax SW-200 pedometer and a custom Velcro strap that allows the user to attach it in a variety of locations on either the upper or lower limbs to record activity levels in an appropriate manner