| Consistent physical activity is a challenge for African American women (Zablotsky & Mack, 2004). Sedentary lifestyle is linked to obesity and chronic disease. Regular participation in physical activity 5 or more days a week, is important for good health, however, 65% of African American women lead sedentary lifestyles (South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC, 2005). Many programs to increase physical activity promote the use of pedometers. Limited information is known about African American women's thoughts, emotions, and feelings related to pedometer use to increase physical activity. This study's goal was to describe the thoughts, emotions, and feelings related to the phenomenon of the pedometer use, using the words of African American women. The dissertation contribution to research was cognitive insight into African American women's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors associated with pedometer use. The study provided knowledge for Licensed Professional Counselors to use cognitive, gestalt, and wellness therapy to change cognitive schema related physical activity. The purpose of the phenomenological study was to described and understand the cognitions, affects, and behavioral experiences related to pedometer use, in the words of African American women in South Carolina, using individual and focus group interviews. |
