Overcoming barriers to physical activity in underserved populations Amy Bantham a , Sharon E. Taverno Ross b , Emerson Sebastião c , Grenita Hall d, ⁎ a Move to Live More, LLC, Somerville, MA, United States of America b Department of Health and Physical Activity, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America c Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, United States of America d Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America abstract article info Available online xxxx There is compelling evidence suggesting underserved populations, including racial/ethnic minorities and individ- uals with low socioeconomic status, are less likely to partake in sufficient amounts of physical activity (PA) at rec- ommended levels. Communities of color and low-income individuals face institutional, societal, and environmental barriers that may prevent them from achieving adequate levels of PA. However, these communi- ties also possess a wealth of knowledge, assets, and support that can be harnessed to help individuals meet PA guidelines. This paper outlines the barriers to PA and explores how to overcome them, drawing from case studies of successful, evidence-based interventions that use culturally- and linguistically- appropriate approaches to in- crease PA in underserved populations. Published by Elsevier Inc. Keywords: Physical activity Underserved populations Chronic disease Interventions Communities Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Underserved populations defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Previous research on PA in underserved populations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underserved populations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Complicated ways CVD affects underserved populations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Overcoming challenges with collaboration and multi-level interventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Individual/community barriers to PA in underserved populations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Access to information/educational resources as a challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Access to healthcare and health conditions as a challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Financial constraints as a challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Environmental challenges to PA in underserved populations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Social/cultural norms, family/work responsibilities as a challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Health and physical literacy levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Cultural considerations and “Othering” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Role of societal/cultural values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Culturally and linguistically appropriate approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Taking action/raising awareness/building community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Community-based participatory research (CBPR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Multi-level interventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Interdisciplinary research teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Disclosures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases xxx (2020) xxx ⁎ Corresponding author at: Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, 1919 W. Taylor Street (MC 898), Chicago, IL 60612, United States of America. E-mail address: hall6@uic.edu (G. Hall). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2020.11.002 0033-0620/Published by Elsevier Inc. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases journal homepage: www.onlinepcd.com