Am J Health Behav 2003;27(4):311-321 311 Physical Activity Patterns Among Women in Rural Alabama Bonnie K. Sanderson, PhD, RN; Carol E. Cornell, PhD; Vera Bittner, MD, MSPH LeaVonne Pulley, PhD; Kathy Kirk, PhD; Ye Yang, MS; Mary Ann Littleton, PhD Nell Brownstein, PhD; Dyann Matson-Koffman, PhD; James M. Raczynski , PhD Bonnie K. Sanderson, Department of Medi- cine; Carol E. Cornell, Department of Medicine; Vera Bittner, Department of Medicine; LeaVonne Pulley, Department of Health Behavior; Kathy Kirk, Department of Biostatistics; Mary Ann Littleton, Department of Health Behavior; James M. Raczynski, Department of Medicine, Center for Health Promotion, all in the Center of Health Promotion, University of Alabama at Birmingham. Ye Yang, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland at Baltimore, Baltimore, MD. Nell Brownstein and Dyann Matson-Koffman, Cen- ters for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Address correspondence to Dr. Sanderson, De- partment of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 307 Lyons Harrison Research Building, Birming- ham, AL 35294. E-mail: bsanderson@uabmc.edu Objective: To explore factors as- sociated with physically active women in a rural community. Methods: Physical activity pat- terns were assessed in 585 women in rural Alabama. Results: When combining leisure and nonleisure activities, 68% of women reported >150 minutes per week. Active African American women tended to be younger (AOR 0.97), married (AOR 1.75), less likely to report arthritis (AOR 0.58), or give health (AOR 0.30) or motivational rea- sons (AOR 0.39) for not being more active; active white women were less likely to report lower health perception (AOR 0.51). Con- clusion: Ethnic differences in fac- tors associated with higher activ- ity levels need to be considered in physical activity interventions. Key words: physical activity, women, African American, rural communities Am J Health Behav 2003;27(4):311-321 P hysical inactivity is a major health burden in the United States and contributes to the development of cardiovascular and other diseases. 1 De- spite the known health benefits attributed to physical activity, most Americans re- main inactive, and the least active include women, racial and ethnic minorities, older adults, and those with lower socioeconomic status. 1,2 Furthermore, the prevalence of physical inactivity tends to be higher in the South than in other regions of the United States 1 and higher among popula- tions living in rural areas than among those living in urban areas. 3-6 African American women are the least active gen- der and racial/ethnic subgroup and may benefit from targeted physical activity in- terventions that address their specific needs. 1,4 Promoting physical activity and devel- oping effective population-based interven- tions, especially among high-risk popula- tions, is a priority public health initia- tive. 7 Health-related physical activity guidelines were developed jointly by the Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion (CDC) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). 2 These guide- lines include a recommendation that all adults engage in at least 30 minutes of regular, at least moderate-intensity physi- cal activity 5 or more days of the week. 1,2