Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-8mjnm Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-29T00:38:22.369Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

How feasible are healthy eating and physical activity for young women?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Kylie Ball*
Affiliation:
School of Health Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia
David Crawford
Affiliation:
School of Health Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia
Narelle Warren
Affiliation:
School of Health Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia
*
*Corresponding author: Email: kball@deakin.edu.au
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Objective:

This study investigated young women's perceptions of the feasibility of physical activity and healthy eating behaviours, and how these vary by socio-economic status, domestic characteristics and weight status.

Design:

This population-based study used a mailed questionnaire to investigate perceptions of the feasibility of commonly recommended healthy eating and physical activity behaviours among a sample of young women. The feasibility of 29 physical activity behaviours (e.g. relating to frequency, intensity, duration, domain/setting) and 15 healthy eating behaviours (e.g. relating to location/setting, fruit and vegetable intake, fat/sugar intake) was assessed. Height, weight and sociodemographic details were also obtained.

Setting:

Nation-wide community-based survey.

Subjects:

A total of 445 women aged 18–32 years selected randomly from the Australian electoral roll.

Results:

Most women reported that they either were already engaged in many of the healthy eating behaviours or saw these as highly feasible. Many physical activity behaviours, on the other hand, were perceived as less feasible, particularly among women with children and women who were overweight.

Conclusions:

Health promotion messages and strategies aimed at increasing physical activity and healthy eating are unlikely to succeed unless they take into account perceptions that these behaviours are not feasible. For young women, this may involve promoting more time-effective, flexible ways of achieving recommended physical activity. Messages specifically targeted to women with children, and women who are overweight, are required.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © CAB International 2004

References

1Williamson, DF, Kahn, HS, Remington, PL, Anda, RF. The 10-year incidence of overweight and major weight gain in US adults. Archives of Internal Medicine 1990; 150: 665–72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2Ball, K, Brown, W, Crawford, D. Who does not gain weight? Prevalence and predictors of weight maintenance in young women. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders 2002; 26: 1570–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3American Heart Association (AHA). Heart and Stroke Statistical Update. Dallas, TX: AHA, 2002.Google Scholar
4US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Physical Activity and Health:A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: US DHHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 1996.Google Scholar
5World Health Organization (WHO). Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases. WHO Technical Report Series No. 797. Geneva: WHO, 1990.Google Scholar
6Serdula, M, Mokdad, AH, Williamson, DF, Galuska, DA, Mendlein, JM, Heath, GW. Prevalence of attempting weight loss and strategies for controlling weight. Journal of the American Medical Association 1999; 282(14): 1353–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Participation in Sport and Physical Activities. Catalogue No. 4177. Canberra: ABS, 2002.Google Scholar
8Leslie, E, Fotheringham, MJ, Owen, N, Bauman, A. Age-related differences in physical activity levels of young adults. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 2001; 33(2): 255–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9Neilson, SJ, Siega-Riz, AM, Popkin, BM. Trends in energy intake in the US between 1977 and 1996: similar shifts seen across e groups. Obesity Research 2002; 10: 370–8.Google Scholar
10Jeffery, RW, French, SA. Epidemic obesity in the United States: are fast foods and television viewing contributing? American Journal of Public Health 1998; 88(2): 277–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11National Health and Medical Reseκarch Council. Acting on Australia's Weight: A Strategic Plan for the Prevention of Overweight and Obesity. Canberra: Australian Government Printing Service, 1997.Google Scholar
12Kellett, E, Smith, A, Schmerlaib, Y. The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services, 1998.Google Scholar
13Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care. National Physical Activity Guidelines for Australians. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, 1999.Google Scholar
14Health Education Authority (HEA). Eight Guidelines for a Healthy Diet: A Guide for Nutrition Educators. Abingdon: HEA (in association with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of Health), 1997.Google Scholar
15National Institutes of Health (NIH). Physical Activity and Weight Control. NIH Publication No. 96-4031. Bethesda,MD: NIH, 1996.Google Scholar
16Crawford, D, Ball, K. Behavioural determinants of the obesity epidemic. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002; 11(Suppl): S71821.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17Krummel, DA, Matson Koffman, D, Bronner, Y, Davis, J, Greenlund, K, Tessaro, I, et al. Cardiovascular health interventions in women: what works?. Journal of Women's Health & Gender-Based Medicine 2001; 10(2): 117–36.Google Scholar
18Wing, R. Physical activity in the treatment of the adulthood overweight and obesity: current evidence and research issues. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 1999; 31(Suppl. 11): S54752.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19Brown, W, Ball, K, Powers, J. Is life a party for young women?. ACHPER Healthy Lifestyles Journal 1998; 45: 2156.Google Scholar
20Kahn, H, Williamson, D, Stevens, J. Race and weight change in US women: the roles of socioeconomic and marital status. American Journal of Public Health 1991; 81(3): 319–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21Montero, P, Bernis, C, Varea, C, Arias, S. Lifetime dietary change and its relation to increase in weight in Spanish women. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders 2002; 24: 14–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22Schafer, R, Keith, P. Marital stress, psychological distress, and healthful dietary behavior: a longitudinal analysis. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 2000; 30(8): 1639–56.Google Scholar
23Bray, G, Popkin, B. Dietary fat intake does affect obesity. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1998; 68: 1157–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24Wing, R, Klem, M. Obesity. In: Gallant, S, Keita, P, Royak-Schaler, R, eds. Health Care for Women: Psychological, Social and Behavioral Influences. Washington,DC: American Psychological Association, 1997.Google Scholar
25Lynch, JW, Kaplan, GA, Salonen, JT. Why do poor people behave poorly? Variation in adult health behaviors and psychosocial characteristics by stages of the socioeconomic lifecourse. Social Science & Medicine 1997; 44(6): 809–19.Google Scholar
26Sobal, J, Stunkard, AJ. Socioeconomic status and obesity: a review of the literature. Psychological Bulletin 1989; 105(2): 260–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
27Brown, W, Bryson, L, Dobson, A, Lee, C, Mishra, G, Schofield, M. Women's Health Australia: recruitment for a nal longitudinal cohort study. Women & Health 1998; 28(1): 2340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
28Bryson, L, Strazzari, S, Brown, W. Shaping families: women, control and contraception. Family Matters 1999; 53: 31–8.Google Scholar
29Spencer, EA, Appleby, PN, Davey, GK, Key, TJ. Validity of self-reported height and weight in 4808 EPIC–Oxford participants. Public Health Nutrition 2002; 5(4): 561–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30World Health Organization (WHO). Obesity: Prevention and Managing the Global Epidemic. Report of a WHO Consultation on Obesity, Geneva, 3–5 June 1997. Geneva: WHO, 1998.Google Scholar
31SPSS, Inc.. SPSS for Windows, Release 11.0.0. Chicago,IL: SPSS, Inc., 2001.Google Scholar
32Tabachnick, BG, Fidell, LS. Using Multivariate Statistics. 3rd ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1996.Google Scholar
33Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Australian National Health Survey 2001. Catalogue No. 4364. Canberra: ABS, 2002.Google Scholar
34Jaffee, L, Lutter, JM, Rex, J, Hawkes, C, Bucaccio, P. Incentives and barriers to physical activity for working women. American Journal of Health Promotion 1999; 13(4): 215–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
35Johnson, CA, Corrigan, SA, Dubbert, PM, Gramling, SE. Perceived barriers to exercise and weight control practices in community women. Women & Health 1990; 16(3/4): 177–91.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
36Zunft, HF, Friebe, D, Seppelt, B, Widhalm, K, de Winter, AR, vaz de Almeida, MD et al. Perceived benefits and barriers to physical activity in a nationally representative sample in the European Union. Public Health Nutrition 1999; 2(1a): 153–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
37Ball, K, Crawford, D, Hodge, AM, Ireland, P. Patterns and demographic predictors of five-year weight change in a multi-ethnic cohort of men and women in Australia. Public Health Nutrition 2003; 6(3): 269–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
38Ball, K, Crawford, D, Owen, N. Too fat to exercise? Obesity as a barrier to physical activity. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 2000; 24(3): 331–3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
39Flood, V, Webb, K, Lazarus, R, Pang, G. Use of self-report to monitor overweight and obesity in populations: some issues for consideration. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 2001; 24: 96–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar