Physical Activity in Older Mexican Americans Living in Two Cities on the U.S.-Mexico Border

Abstract

Background: There is limited information on physical activity in marginalized older populations like that on the U.S.-Mexico border. This study aims to understand physical activity engagement among older Hispanics residing in two U.S.-Mexico Border counties. Methods: The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to measure physical activity in El Paso and Cameron County, Texas. Physical activity levels were reported for vigorous, moderate, and walking met/mins. Adjusted and unadjusted modeling was conducted to determine county differences and sociodemographic covariates. Results: There were 784 participants and 92.9% were less than 65 years of age. El Paso participants reported a significantly greater natural log met/mins of vigorous (β = 1.34, p = 0.000) and walking (β = 0.331, p = 0.006). Significant sociodemographic covariates in El Paso for vigorous met/mins were gender (females β = −1.20, p = 0.003), having a regular doctor (β = −0.779, p = 0.029), and acculturation (β = 0.513, p = 0.019). Significant associations in Cameron County were having a regular doctor (β = −1.03, p = 0.000) and fair/poor health status (β = −0.475, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Level of physical activity may differ in older Hispanics by urban context on the U.S.-Mexico border. Future physical activity programs to promote physical activity should take context into consideration.

Re-Examination of Quality of Life Indicators in US - Mexico Border Cities: a Critical Review

“…Similar investigations regarding hazardous air pollutants have also occurred in Hildago County, Texas (Carrillo et al 2018). Also in El Paso, researchers have investigated the sexual risk of HIV transmission (Kutner et al 2017) and physical activity among border residents (Vasquez et al 2018). Type 2 Diabetes has also arisen as a particularly prevalent health concern for those living California and Mexico (Barquera et al 2018;Rosales et al 2017).…”

Engagement in Physical Activity Improves after Participation in Pasos Para Prevenir Cancer—An Obesity-Related Cancer Prevention Program in El Paso, Texas

“…The authors of this study used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to measure physical activity engagement [ 26 ]. The IPAQ is a widely used physical activity inventory intended to assess participants’ light, vigorous, and moderate physical activity [ 29 ]. The IPAQ is available in English and Spanish in a long or short form.…”

Sedentary behaviors among Mexicans in the United States and Mexico: A binational study

“…Furthermore, population living in middle-income countries, such as Mexico, tends to have higher rates of active transportation time due to lower rates of personal automobile ownership [16,17] What has received little to no attention are the effects of migration on sedentary behaviors in 5population migrating from less industrialized to more industrialized nations (i.e., Mexican individuals moving from Mexico to the U.S.). Previous studies have described that different levels of adaptation could influence health status such as physical activity levels [18], self-rated health [19], depression [20], and cancer [21]. Given the high proportion of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. [22] and their continued influx from Mexico [23], understanding the role sedentary behaviors based on cultural adaptation process compared to population that has remained in Mexico is fundamental.…”