Active Moms Project: Physical Activity Intervention for Low-Income Mothers

Mothers were given physical activity goals and coping resources to practice at home and were asked to record their experiences on an activity log. Course content was taught from a detailed training manual and was based on concepts and strategies from social cognitive theory that have been effective in increasing physical activity and fitness levels among mothers. In the first month, mothers attended group exercise sessions twice per week (total of eight group sessions) and exercised on their own once per week. In the second month, mothers attended group exercise sessions once per week (total of four group sessions) and exercised on their own twice per week. In the third month, mothers exercised on their own three times per week.

The HBI group received information on building social support and reducing physical activity barriers based on materials from the Diabetes Prevention Program. Participants were also given activity logs to record their physical activity each week, which was collected by research staff at each monthly assessment time point to assess how participants were progressing with their physical activity goals. Mothers exercised on their own for three months with the goal of meeting national physical activity guidelines