Suchergebnisse

Free nutrition education is available to most lowincome individuals including Food Stamp program participants, but few avail themselves of the opportunity. The primary objective of this study was audience segmentation based on perceived barriers to participation in free nutrition education (product, price, and place) among 3,659 low-income individuals in Oklahoma. Six market segments were identified through a cluster analysis of 12 perceived barriers. The market segments were: Few Barriers, Low Interest, Childcare, Know the Topic, Transportation, and Multiple Barriers. We conclude with an examination of the demographic composition of the market segments. Based on a judgment of their reachability and responsiveness, little effort should be expended to attempt to attract the Low Interest and Multiple Barriers segments, because the former is not interested in the product and the latter perceive too many impediments for engaging in the behavior. We recommend specific program changes to attract participation in nutrition education among the approximately twothirds of the population that comprise the Few Barriers, Childcare, Know the Topic, and Transportation segments.

Purpose. Health Belief Model (HBM) and Transtheoretical Model concepts were used to investigate possible differences in perceptions of physical activity among African-American college women categorized by their stage of physical activity behavior. Methods. A survey was administered to 233 participants to assess their stage of physical activity behavior and HBM perceptions. Analysis of variance was used to investigate possible differences among HBM constructs for each behavior stage. Results. Perceived barriers were significantly higher (p < .05), and perceived severity, cues to action, and self-efficacy were significantly lower in the inactive group than in the active group. For example, perceived barriers were significantly higher in the inactive (mean = 2.3) stage than in the preparation (mean = 2.1), action (mean = 1.9), and maintenance (mean = 1.7) stages of physical activity behavior. Discussion. The results suggest that many perceptions of physical activity differ significantly among stages of behavior in this sample of African-American college women. A limitation was that some scales were modified specifically for this population and were not validated.