Preventive health practices of African American women.

Preventive health practices of African American women (AAW) have been little studied. This study explores the participation of middle-income AAW in health promotion/disease prevention behavior. In-depth, audiotape, and semi-structured interviews were held with 36 AAW between the ages of 26 and 75 years. Results indicated that the majority of the women participated in diet control behavior for health purposes. Participation in weight management and exercise behavior was less extensive. The women were involved in other types of preventive health practices to keep healthy. The findings reveal the need for increased educational efforts in the areas of weight management, exercise behavior, mammography, and in the practice of breast self-examination. Results of the study have implications for researchers, educators, and clinicians.