UTILIZING A SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH FRAMEWORK TO ELICIT AFRICAN AMERICAN’S PERCEIVED CONTROL BELIEFS ABOUT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

African Americans’ Perceived Behavior Control (PBC) beliefs about physical activity were evaluated utilizing the Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) framework. Thirty one-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with African Americans aged 30-50 in Oklahoma. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed for themes. Qualifying themes met or exceeded a threshold of 25%. Among the sample, 40% (n=12) had completed some college, 26% (n=8) had a bachelor’s degree, and 6% (n=2) had a master’s degree. Additionally, 86% (n=26), reported having a primary care physician, 57% (n=17) described themselves as healthy, and 53% (n=16), reported having a health condition that affects physically active. The sample was homogenous regarding socioeconomic status (SES), where 80% (n=24) were employed and 93% (n=8) did not receive government assistance. Both internal and external factors were found to impact physical activity behavior. Economic Stability themes represented beliefs that SES facilitates physical activity, yet, employment duties impede physical activity. SES barriers to physical activity did not emerge within this sample. Neighborhood and Built Environment themes represented beliefs that accessibility facilitates physical activity, while inclement weather impedes physical activity. Motivation emerged as a theme and represented beliefs about how motivation impacts behavior in the absence barriers. Results from this study suggest that motivation potentially impacts behavior to a greater degree in the absence of barriers. Findings from this research suggest that physical activity interventions targeting African Americans of similar SES should focus on both internal and external factors influencing behavior