The Relationship of Stress to Health-Promoting Behaviors of College-Educated African American Women

Background: More research has been done involving obese and overweight African American women who have low and middle socioeconomic status (SES) and have a high school education or some college. Fewer studies have involved African American women who have completed college, and even fewer numbers of studies have involved African American women of middle and high SES with bachelor's and graduate degrees. Methods: Quantitative analysis, using analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson's product moment statistics, and stepwise multiple regression, was performed. Utilizing Pender's health promotion model, the relationships among weight, body image, self-efficacy, stress, and health-promoting behaviors were determined in a purposive sampling of 167 subjects who were members of an organization of women in the Metropolitan Washington, D. C., area, whose membership consists primarily of college-educated African American members. These participants were compared for the association of weight, body image, self-efficacy, and stress in relation to increased commitment to engage in health-promoting behaviors, such as increased physical activity and consumption of healthy foods. Results: Among these women, low levels of stress were likely to influence a participant's decision to adopt health-promoting behaviors. The results showed a significant negative relationship (r = -.365, p<.05), indicating that among these college-educated African American women, low levels of stress were likely to influence one's decision to adopt health-promoting behaviors; and there was no significant difference in any of the mean scores (F(2,163).854, p>.05) of health-promoting behaviors between those who were normal weight, overweight, or obese. Conclusions: In this cohort, levels of stress were found to negatively influence a participant's decision to adopt health-promoting behaviors. Further, positive body image and positive self-efficacy were related to intent to engage in health-promoting behaviors. Information from this study can enable nurses and other health care providers design culturally and educationally sensitive interventions aimed at helping such women achieve and maintain a healthier lifestyle.