Motivational Interviewing and Physical Activity Outcomes in African American Adults: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Although the benefits of physical activity are well-known, African American participation is disproportionately low in conjunction with higher rates of obesity and several cardiovascular disease risk factors compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts. This review was conducted to explore evidence and gaps for the impact of motivational interviewing on physical activity outcomes in African Americans. A modified Cochrane method of systematic reviews was used to search relevant research databases (PsycINFO, PubMed/MEDLINE, and SPORTDiscus, Science Citation Index Expanded Social Sciences Citation Index). Relevant articles were reviewed and eliminated in title/abstract and full-text tiers based upon inclusion/exclusion criteria. Of 182 articles, seven randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria and were retained for this review. Only one study showed motivational interviewing to have a significant impact on physical activity outcomes, and several studies showed significant impact on other secondary health-related outcomes (nutrition/dietary intake, body weight/body mass index, cardiovascular/aerobic fitness, motivation, glucose/HBA1C levels, medication adherence, smoking cessation, and improvement in quality of life). This review does not support the use of motivational interviewing to significantly improve physical activity outcomes in African Americans and future studies should conduct more motivational interviewing training and fidelity tests to ensure motivational interviewing-consistent skills as well as conduct more sessions in-person.