Neighborhood environment correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior among Latino adults in Massachusetts

Abstract

BackgroundU.S. Latinos experience high rates of cardio-metabolic diseases and have high rates of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior. Understanding the environmental factors associated with physical activity and sedentary behaviors among Latinos could inform future interventions. The purpose of this study is to explore the neighborhood environment correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior in a sample of U.S. Latino adults.MethodsCross-sectional study of 602 Latino adults in Lawrence, MA. Survey assessments of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and neighborhood environment were verbally administered. The neighborhood environment scale assessed violence, safety, aesthetic quality, walkability, availability of healthy foods, social cohesion, and activities with neighbors.ResultsAfter controlling forage, gender, education, body mass index (BMI), and smoking status, two variables were associated with the outcomes of interest. Living in more walkable neighborhoods was associated with an increased likelihood of engaging in adequate levels of physical activity (>150 min per week, as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)) (OR = 1.403, p = .018); and greater frequency of activities with neighbors was associated with greater sedentary behavior (β = .072, p = .05).ConclusionsThere were different neighborhood environment correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior in this Latino community. Focusing on a greater understanding of the distinct social and physical environmental correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior may provide important insights for reducing CVD risk and health disparities among Latinos.

Associations of perceived neighborhood environment and physical activity with metabolic syndrome among Mexican–Americans adults: a cross sectional examination

“…Results also confirm previous research showing that walking environment and safety are important neighborhood factors associated with PA engagement among adult populations (including Latinos) [11,12,[28][29][30][31]; nevertheless, not all studies have reported significant associations among these variables [32]. Lack of significant relationships among neighborhood factors of aesthetic quality, availability of healthy foods, violence, and activities with neighbors with PA were surprising given these factors intuitively appear to be related to PA and previous research suggest several of these factors as important determinants of PA [28,32,33]. Inconsistent findings across studies may be related to measurement, as previous research has used numerous methods to measure both neighborhood factors and PA [11].…”

“…The finding that higher self-reported PA was associated with reduced risk for the presence of metabolic syndrome adds to the established body of research showing PA is an independent risk factor associated with development of cardiometabolic disease conditions (i.e., metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease) [2,5,6,27]. Results also confirm previous research showing that walking environment and safety are important neighborhood factors associated with PA engagement among adult populations (including Latinos) [11,12,[28][29][30][31]; nevertheless, not all studies have reported significant associations among these variables [32]. Lack of significant relationships among neighborhood factors of aesthetic quality, availability of healthy foods, violence, and activities with neighbors with PA were surprising given these factors intuitively appear to be related to PA and previous research suggest several of these factors as important determinants of PA [28,32,33].…”

Identifying Stress Landscapes in Boston Neighborhoods

“…To assess self-reported stress-related health problems, survey participants were presented with a list of stress-related health problems that are associated with chronic and neighborhood stress. 15 – 17 Survey participants were instructed to identify the stress-related health problems that they currently have and then rate how large of a problem it is to them (1= minimal problem, 2= moderate problem, 3= large problem). Lastly, to assess stress-related negative behaviors, survey participants were instructed to identify the stress-related negative behaviors that have the greatest impact on overall community health in their neighborhood.…”

Early Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Activity Locations and Behaviors in Adults Living in the U.S.: Differences by Ethnicity and Income

“…Several reasons may account for this finding, such as the possibility that transport-or occupational-based physical activity is not being replaced by leisure walking in the neighborhood. Also, it is possible that streets in lower income neighborhoods have poorer sidewalk availability and quality, greater traffic volume, or higher crime, which can deter leisure walking [26]. Additional reasons for larger declines in step counts for individuals from lower income households may include being less likely to be able to afford home exercise equipment or access to online streaming exercises classes and being more negatively impacted by changes in employment or increased childcare requirements.…”