“It's Easy to Do with Friends”: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis on Black Women's Interest in Physical Activity

Research probing Black women's health-related decisions has historically neglected to contextualize these decisions within sociocultural influences and access to health-promoting infrastructure. Black women's underrepresentation in health and fitness spaces is often addressed in ways that reinforce stigmatizing messages. Feminist psychologists have long implicated psychology's often decontextualized lenses in sustaining narrow understandings of women's health choices. This study applies an inquiry informed by Black intersectional feminism to explore how Black women describe their interest in physical activity and the circumstances and experiences that create barriers to engaging their interest. Open-ended survey responses from 65 Black Canadian women ( M = 23.5 years, SD = 10.72) were coded and analyzed through a reflexive thematic analysis. We constructed four themes: expressions of being in the “right” body, movement centering strengths and possibility, (in)visibility of cultural referents, and activity nourished through community. Barriers included being perceived as a “bad fit,” various forms of inaccessibility, and the violation of sociocultural norms. The findings of this study can inform physical activity/exercise interventions that wish to facilitate programming and/or spaces that are culturally affirming and safe for Black women.