Language, Duration of United States Residency, and Leisure Time Physical Activity Among Women from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III)
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Quantitative Health SciencesDocument Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2012-11-01
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Background and Purpose: Physical inactivity is a leading public health concern, particularly among women and ethnic minority groups, where Latinas are among the largest and fastest growing U.S. populations. Acculturation, known to affect other health behaviors, may explain low physical activity (PA) among these underserved women. Research on the effects of acculturation on PA, however, is scarce or limited by methodology. The study purpose was to evaluate the association between acculturation (i.e., language, birth country, and duration of U.S. residency) and PA in a national sample of women within the framework of the socioecologic model of health promotion. Methods: A total of 5,861 women (86% white, mean age 37.2) were sampled from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Results: Hierarchical multivariable regression modeling results indicate significant associations among language, duration of U.S. residency, and age, after controlling for confounders (all p<0.05). Most women reported less than recommended PA. Conclusions: These findings indicate that age, duration of U.S. residency, and language are important to consider in combination when understanding women's PA, findings that have implications for future research, theory, and clinical practice (e.g., making available PA assessments in multiple languages additionally tailored on age and investigating sociopolitical factors unique to Latinas).Source
J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2012 Nov;21(11):1170-9. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2012.3477. Epub 2012 Oct 10. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1089/jwh.2012.3477Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/46586PubMed ID
23051069Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1089/jwh.2012.3477