Physical Activity in Minority Populations:

Overcoming a Public Health Challenge

I. Introduction

In this review, health disparities are described as they relate to physical inactivity among racial and ethnic minorities in the United States.

Physical inactivity is a well-established independent coronary heart disease risk factor. Physical inactivity also plays a major role in other

chronic diseases or conditions such as colorectal cancer, breast cancer, stroke, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and

depression. The above conditions also disproportionately affect minority populations in the U.S. Given the excess burden of disease

among underserved populations, the potential benefit of an active lifestyle among racial and ethnic minorities cannot be ignored.

Definitions

The definition of race for U.S. federal government purposes is based on self-reported categorization from participants, and is not

necessarily based on biological factors. The four major designations for race are: Whites, Blacks, Asian or Pacific Islanders, and American

Indian or Alaskan Native. Ethnicity, on the other hand, is divided into Hispanic or non-Hispanic, and is the only ethnicity defined for

government purposes. Because Hispanics can be of any race, data are often presented for non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, and

Hispanics. Within Hispanics there are major subgroups such as Mexican Americans (the largest subgroup of Hispanics at approximately

66%), Puerto Ricans (island and continental), Cuban Americans, and Central and South Americans. 

As with other major ethnic groups, there are wide diversities of ethnic subgroups within Asian-Pacific Islanders, Blacks, American

Indians, and Alaskan Natives. Moreover, data from the 2000 census suggest that about 2% of respondents report having mixed ethnic

heritage. Whenever possible, we present physical activity estimates for subgroups that are collected in national representative studies.

These racial and ethnic definitions are important because they may indicate differences in educational attainment, income, geographic

location, language preferences, and cultural practices that can help us to better understand

health disparities. 

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), part of the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention (CDC), monitors the health of the nation through a variety of surveys and

surveillance systems. NCHS has tracked health indicators of the U.S. population to

produce updates on the status of the National Health Objectives (e.g., Healthy People 2000

and 2010). Some of the surveillance systems used to monitor physical activity patterns

presented here are the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a yearly survey with an

in-person interview, and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

(NHANES), an in-person interview and a health examination conducted since 1960. In

addition, the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, also

from the CDC, provides physical activity estimates on a state-by-state basis using data

collected via the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which is a

telephone interview. 

The Healthy People 2010 objectives have identified 10 leading health indicators, and

physical activity is one of these leading health indicators. This categorization shows that

physical activity remains at the top of the public health agenda and underscores the need to

allocate valuable resources to eliminate the gap between those who are active and those

who are not. Recent recommendations from the DHHS and the U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA) have incorporated a physical activity recommendation for general

health, disease prevention, and weight management, further underscoring the federal

government’s interest in promoting physical activity (U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2005). 

An increasingly alarming problem is that America is becoming a sedentary society.

Technological advancements have engineered physical activity out of daily routines with

great gains in productivity, automation and transportation. Since the workplace and

transportation are no longer places for society to engage in physical activity, increased

Series 6, No. 2 June 2005

Published quarterly by the

President’s Council on

Physical Fitness and Sports

Washington, D.C.

★

Guest Author:

Carlos J. Crespo, DrPH, MS

Associate Professor

Department of Social and

Preventive Medicine 

University at Buffalo

The State University of New York

★

Co-edited by:

Drs. Charles B. Corbin and

Robert P. Pangrazi,

Arizona State University, and

Dr. Deborah Young,

University of Maryland

President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

ResearchDi est
participation in physical activity during leisure time is

emphasized most often. Therefore, “leisure-time physical

activity” (LTPA) has become the most widely studied form of

physical activity. National surveillance systems have not used a

standardized physical activity assessment over the years, which

sometimes make comparability of findings difficult. What is

clear, however, is that racial and ethnic minorities consistently

have higher levels of no leisure time physical activity regardless

of survey or year of assessment.

The term “no leisure-time physical activity” is meaningful,

because while there may be limits to validly quantifying

amounts and patterns of physical activity, assessing lack of

participation in leisure-time physical activity is less complicated.

Physical inactivity, defined as lack of participation in any type

of leisure-time physical activity, is easier to measure, and is

easier to track and compare across multiple population-based

surveys. 

The findings presented in this review primarily address lack of

participation in physical activity for children, adolescents, and

adults, both males and females, according to race and ethnic

origin. Because of the lack of a national representative sample in

all race/ethnic groups, most of the results presented compare

physical inactivity prevalence estimates among Whites, Blacks,

Hispanics, and if available, for Asian/Pacific Islanders. 

II. Physical Activity Levels in Children 

Assessment of physical activity in children is inherently difficult

because cognitive recall is required in terms of amounts, intensity,

and types of physical activity. Another approach for assessing

physical inactivity in children is to measure time spent in front

of televisions or computers, as a surrogate measure of physical

inactivity. Time spent watching TV, however, does not

necessarily mean that a child is inactive. It does reveal, however,

time spent in activities in which a child is generally presumed to

be sedentary. 

Physical activity participation. The NHANES monitored

participation in vigorous physical activity that causes sweating

and hard breathing, along with hours of television watched a

day. Andersen et al. showed that, in general, non-Hispanic Black

and Mexican American children were less likely to participate in

vigorous physical activity than non-Hispanic Whites. Girls

consistently tended to participate less in vigorous activities than

boys. More troublesome is the fact that as girls get older there is

a steady decline in physical activity; however, as boys get older

the percent who participate in vigorous active pursuits increases

(Andersen et al., 1998). 

Sedentary behaviors prevalence. Using NHANES data, the

prevalence of television viewing of non-Hispanic White, nonHispanic Black and Mexican American children aged 8-16 years

was assessed. Marked differences were noted between the

percent of White and African American children who reported

watching 4 or more hours of TV a day. Almost 40 percent of

African American children watched 4 or more hours a day of

television for both boys and girls, compared with 16 percent and

12 percent of White boys and girls respectively (Crespo, Smit,

Troiano, Bartlett, Macera, & Andersen, 2001; Andersen et al.,

1998).

Patterns of physical activity and physical inactivity.

Researchers at the University at Buffalo examined physical and

sedentary activity in schoolchildren (Epstein, Coleman, &

Myers, 1996). During this study a physical activity checklist

was used to monitor sedentary and physical activity behaviors

during the previous 24 hours among White and Black children.

Other information included physical education classes, recess

time, and any other outside of school activities. This study is

important because it not only investigated the amount of

physical activity and sedentary behaviors in a biracial group of

children and adolescents, but it also reported the type of activity

and temporal structuring of the activity. Children spent an

average of 168 minutes of physical activity per day. As

expected, boys were more physically active than girls,

regardless of race. White children were more likely to report

outdoor play than Black children, as well as football and

gymnastics, and they performed these activities for longer

periods. On the other hand, more Black children participated in

basketball, dance, and jump rope, and they spent more time in

these activities than White children. Black children also spent

more time in selected sedentary activities than White children,

both in total minutes and in percent of total reported activity.

Interestingly, the study found a positive and significant

relationship between reported minutes of physical activity and

minutes of sedentary activity in both White and Black children.

Thus, the more active children were more likely to engage in

sedentary activities. Both physical and sedentary activities were

more likely to occur outside of school hours. Not surprisingly,

children who did not attend physical education classes

accumulated less total physical activity than those who did.

Additionally, children did not compensate for lack of physical

education classes by being more active outside of school hours

(Epstein, Paluch, Coleman, Vito, & Anderson, 1996; Epstein,

Roemmich, Saad, & Handley, 2004; Roemmich, Gurgol, &

Epstein, 2004).

Reducing sedentary behaviors. The majority of the research

aimed at reducing sedentary behaviors and increasing healthful

eating and physical activity has been conducted in White

children (Robinson, 1999). However, Ford and colleagues (Ford,

McDonald, Owens, & Robinson, 2002), conducted a

randomized controlled pilot study among 28 families with

African American children between the ages of 7 to 12 years

who received primary care at an urban community clinic. The

primary aim of the study was to reduce hours of children’s

television, videotape, and video game use in African American

children. All families (intervention and control groups) received

brief counseling. The behavioral intervention group received an

additional discussion about setting television budgets, and

parents received a brochure about parental guidance in lowering

children’s TV viewing. An electronic television time manager

controlled power to the television, videotape and video games.

This device locked the power plug to these appliances and

allowed for monitoring and budgeting viewing time for each

member of the household through the use of a four-digit

personal identification number. The intervention group reported

reduced time watching television, videotapes or video games

compared with the control group. More importantly, they found

a significant increase in weekly hours of organized physical

activity in the behavioral intervention group compared to the

control group.

Physical activity determinants. Determinants of physical

activity among African American children have been studied

with regard to the psychological, environmental and

sociocultural influences (Trost, Pate, Ward, Saunders, & Riner,

1999; Lindquist, Beilin, & Knuiman, 1997; Pate et al., 2002).

2
Decline in physical activity. Kimm and colleagues showed a

significantly higher decline in Black girls’ physical activity into

adolescence than White girls (Kimm, Glynn, Kriska, Barton,

et al., 2002; Kimm, Glynn, Kriska, Fitzgerald, et al., 2000).

Another study also documented the decline in physical activity

with age, in which the decline in grades 10-12 was appreciably

higher among girls than among boys (Trost et al., 2002).

Predictors of physical activity. In a study of urban and rural

White and Black girls, enjoyment of physical education and

family involvement in physical activity were greater among

Black girls than White girls. A positive attitude toward physical

activity was higher among rural White girls and urban Black

girls compared with their rural and urban counterparts. White

girls had greater access to sports equipment, higher perceived

safety of neighborhoods, and higher physical activity selfefficacy than Black girls (Felton et al., 2002). 

In summary, physical inactivity is consistently higher among

minority children and adolescents than among their White

counterparts. Inactive children become inactive adolescents, and

more importantly, the percent of physically active African

American and Hispanic girls who become less active as they

grow into adolescence is of clinical and public health

significance given the diseases associated with physical

inactivity (e.g., high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and

obesity). Strategies to increase participation in physical activity

among minority children should take advantage of welldeveloped interventions among White children such as

budgeting of TV time, negotiating sedentary time, providing

safe environments for play and games, and improving

curriculums that teach lifetime skills to engage in exercise

programs and physical activity pursuits (Bungum & Vincent,

1997). Another important factor is the need for culturally

specific interventions that are ethnic specific rather than just

interventions developed for non-Hispanic White children.

Barriers and Opportunities to Promote Physical

Activity in Children

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation commissioned a study to

assess barriers and opportunities to participation in physical

activity among minorities and they identified the following

barriers: (1) Minority children attend school districts where

allocation of funds for the teaching of lifetime physical activity

is not a priority; (2) There is an emphasis on encouraging skill

acquisition for competitive sports that appear to have the

potential to improve economic well-being. This overemphasis

on physical skill acquisition has the potential to detract from

academic achievement; (3) No parks. This is a major

environmental deterrent to participation, and it goes beyond

having a park, but a park that is safe and well-maintained;

(4) No programs; “if you build them they will come” is not

necessarily applicable. A program that includes quality

programming for all members of the community is essential and

builds long-term sustainability; (5) No role models; (6) No

family engagement. These last two items address the social

influence that other human beings have on children, especially

the long-term implications of adopting an active lifestyle. 

From the above description of the problems, and the identification

of barriers to increase participation and eliminate disparities in

physical activity, a recommendation to incorporate more

physical activity within the physical education system is

warranted. Also, it is important to have safe neighborhoods

Trost and colleagues assessed psychosocial and environmental

variables and their impact in influencing physical activity in

African American sixth graders from four public middle schools

in South Carolina. Psychosocial variables measured included

self-efficacy, social influences, and belief outcomes.

Environmental variables included perceived physical activity

behaviors of parents and peers, access to sporting and/or fitness

equipment at home, involvement in community physical activity

organizations, participation in community sports teams over the

preceding six months, and self-reported hours spent watching

television or playing video games. Results showed that active

African American boys exhibited higher levels of self-efficacy

toward physical activity and reported greater involvement in

community-based, physical activity organizations than lowactive boys. Active African American girls were more likely to

have higher levels of self-efficacy and higher scores on beliefs

regarding physical activity outcomes (e.g., keep me in shape,

make me more attractive, be fun) than less active African

American girls. Self-efficacy—the belief that a person possesses

the ability to perform a particular behavior—is consistently an

important predictor of physical activity in children and adults

regardless of race. 

III. Physical Activity Levels in Minority

Adolescents 

Physical activity participation. The Youth Behavioral Risk

Surveillance System (YRBSS) is a survey of youth activities.

The YRBSS found that only 28.4% of our nation’s youth in

grades 9 to 12 participated in physical education (PE) classes 5

days per week. Participation in daily PE classes was higher

among Hispanic students (36.7%) than White students (24.9%).

Black male (37.1%) and Hispanic male (39.5%) students were

more likely to attend daily PE classes than their White male

counterparts (26.8%). Disturbingly, PE class attendance

declined steadily from 9th grade (37.7%) to 12th grade

(18.2%)—these steady declines were observed for all

race/ethnic groups. (Grunbaum et al., 2004).

Nationwide, 33.4% of students in grades 9 through 12 did not

participate in sufficient physical activity. Insufficient

participation in physical activity was higher among Black

female (50.4%), Hispanic female (42.6%), and White female

(37.5%) students compared with Black male (31.8%), Hispanic

male (30.3%), and White male (24.8%) students. Similar

patterns were observed for participation in both vigorous and

moderate physical activity. Outside of PE classes, minority

students were less likely to be active than their White

counterparts. For example, participation in moderate intensity

physical activity for 30 minutes 5 or more days a week was

highest among White males (29%) and lowest among Black

females (17.5%). Participation in vigorous physical activity for

20 minutes 3 or more days a week followed the same trend.

Results from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent

Health, a nationally representative study with more than 14,000

adolescents, including 3,135 non-Hispanic Blacks, 2,446

Hispanics, and 976 Asians, also reported similar results. With

the exception of Asian females, minority adolescents were more

inactive than their White counterparts. 

Sedentary behaviors prevalence. NHANES data indicated that

watching television for more than 3 hours a day was higher

among Black (67%) than among Hispanic (46%) or White

(29%) adolescents (Grunbaum et al., 2004). 

3
4

where both boys and girls can participate in lifetime affordable

physical activities in an environment that is safe. 

IV. Physical Activity Levels of Adults

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey is

designed to obtain a national representative sample of Blacks

and Mexican Americans. During NHANES III, the highest

prevalence of physical inactivity was observed among nonHispanic Blacks and Mexican Americans (Figure 1) (Crespo,

Smit, Andersen, Carter-Pokras, & Ainsworth, 2000). As people

aged, prevalence of physical inactivity increased, but for

Mexican Americans, participation in physical inactivity during

leisure time was very high early in adult life (Figure 1).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently

updated health status surveillance for minority communities and

identified participation in physical activity as part of the Racial

and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH). The

survey focused on Blacks, Hispanics, Asian/Pacific Islanders,

and American Indians. The median percentage of men who met

physical activity recommendations ranged from 24.1% among

Asian/Pacific Islanders to 42.9% among American Indian

communities. The median among women ranged from 17.3% in

Asian/Pacific Islander communities to 35.9% in American

Indian communities. With the exception of two communities,

minority communities were more likely to engage less in

physical activity compared with data from the general

population. Nationally, 49.6% of men and 42.9% of women met

the recommended levels of physical activity (Morbidity and

Mortality Weekly Report, 2000; Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, 2004). 

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+

non-Hispanic White non-Hispanic Black Mexican American

years of age

Men Women

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+

non-Hispanic White non-Hispanic Black Mexican American

years of age

non-Hispanic White non-Hispanic Black Mexican American

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

White-collar

professionals

White-collar Blue-collar Retired Homemakers*

Men

non-Hispanic White non-Hispanic Black Mexican American

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

White-collar

professionals

White-collar Blue-collar Retired Homemakers

Women

Figure 2

Occupation and prevalence of no leisure-time physical activity by race/ethnicity in men and women.

*Sample size too small to calculate prevalence estimates in non-Hispanic Whites.

Source: Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. Adapted from Crespo et al., Am J Prev Med 2000:18:46-53.

Figure 1

Age-specific prevalence of no leisure-time physical activity by race/ethnicity in men and women.

Source: Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994 Adapted from Crespo et al., Am J Prev Med 2000:18:46-53
Social Class and Physical Inactivity in Racial/Ethnic

Minorities

Difference in social class is hypothesized to be one of the main

reasons why health disparities, including physical inactivity,

exist in minority populations. Measurement of social class and

its relation to health indicators is complex. Education is mostly

related to health behavior, and income is mostly associated with

the ability to purchase goods and services, such as health

insurance, prescription medication, and access to health care

(Liberatos, Link, & Kelsey, 1988). Table 1 shows that regardless

of educational attainment or

household earnings, both nonHispanic Blacks and Mexican

Americans were more physically

inactive than non-Hispanic Whites. 

A report using data from the

National Health Interview Survey

studied the percentage of employed

adults reporting participation in

leisure-time physical activity and

who also reported hard occupational

physical activity by race/ethnicity

(Morbidity and Mortality Weekly

Report, 2000). Non-Hispanic

Whites had the lowest levels of

physical inactivity and the highest

percentages of adults meeting the

recommended guidelines of

moderate physical activity for 30

minutes 5 or more days a week.

Non-Hispanic Whites also had the

lowest percentages of employed

adults who engaged in heavy work

for 5 or more hours a day.

Hispanics, on the other hand,

reported engaging more frequently

in highly physically active jobs for 5

or more hours a day than nonHispanic Whites or Blacks, and had

the highest levels of physical

inactivity during leisure time. The

results of this report are consistent

with the thought that occupational

activity may explain some

racial/ethnic disparities.

To further examine these

associations, the prevalence of no

leisure-time physical activity by

different categories of occupation

using the U.S. Census Occupational

Classification Codes was assessed

(Crespo, Forde, Smit, & Andersen,

2000). NHANES III participants

were divided into six occupational

classifications: White-collar

professionals; White-collar other,

which includes those working in

technical jobs and in offices; Bluecollar workers who engage in mostly

manual labors, farming, and unskilled

jobs; those who reported being

retired; being homemakers; and other pursuits such as students

or unemployed. Results indicate that regardless of occupational

status, the prevalence of physical inactivity was highest among

both non-Hispanic Black and Mexican American women.

Among those who reported being in “white-collar

professionals” occupations, non-Hispanic Black and Mexican

American men had twice the age-adjusted rate of inactivity

compared to observed rates among non-Hispanic Whites. Bluecollar workers’ prevalence of physical inactivity was lowest

among non-Hispanic White men, followed by non-Hispanic

Black men, and highest among Mexican American men. 

5

Table 1.

Age-adjusted prevalence of no leisure-time physical activity among

non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black and Mexican American men and women

ages 20 years and older according to social class indicator, Third National Health

and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994.

Social Class Indicator Whites African Americans Mexican Americans

Men N mean + SE N mean + SE N mean + SE

Education•

<12 y 1192 22 + 2.1 913 33 + 2.43 1579 40 + 1.64

12 y 1062 15 + 1.3 765 22 + 2.31 466 20 + 3.8

13-15 y 624 13 + 1.6 394 21 + 3.2 267 13 + 2.5

16+ y 821 7 + 1.1 193 14 + 2.72 120 14 + 4.0

Income†

<$10,000 282 22 + 4.5 423 40 + 3.43 379 43 + 2.63

$10,000-$19,999 887 21 + 2.0 691 27 + 2.3 850 42 + 1.36

$20,000-$34,999 906 15 + 1.6 490 20 + 2.6 530 23 + 3.31

$35,000-$49,999 594 10 + 1.4 280 20 + 2.71 230 19 + 3.8

$50,000+ 1065 10 + 1.1 416 20 + 2.43 478 31 + 3.56

Women

Education•

<12 y 1295 36 + 3.1 990 51 + 2.43 1487 59 + 1.55

12 y 1559 25 + 1.4 1018 45 + 2.33 557 34 + 2.84

13-15 y 804 15 + 1.5 482 32 + 3.13 249 19 + 3.23

16+ y 709 14 + 1.5 260 30 + 3.23 106 24 + 6.03

Income†

<$10,000 566 30 + 3.1 675 46 + 3.93 464 60 + 2.66

$10,000-$19,999 1025 27 + 2.0 786 47 + 2.23 808 54 + 2.06

$20,000-$34,999 949 22 + 2.0 531 38 + 2.23 478 43 + 3.74

$35,000-$49,999 622 16 + 1.8 264 32 + 3.23 217 27 + 3.63

$50,000+ 1250 20 + 1.5 515 43 + 2.83 459 41 + 2.63

• based on years of school completed

† based on total annual household income

1 p<0.05; 2 p<0.01; 3 p<0.001; different than non-Hispanic Whites

Adapted from Crespo CJ et al., Am J Prev Med, 2000; 18(1): 46-53
identified major barriers for participation in physical activity by

asking community members, researchers and related personnel

who work with African Americans, Latinos and American

Indians (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2004). The most

salient barriers identified by this group in ascending order of

relevance were: (1) Not enough time; (2) Not a priority;

(3) Level of safety in neighborhood; (4) Not having the money;

(5) No child care; (6) It’s tiring or it’s not fun; (7) Others would

think I’m being selfish; (8) No parks; (9) No good programs;

and (10) Not wanting to get sweaty. 

The above barriers are not exclusive to minorities; for example,

“not having enough time” has been recognized as a major

barrier for not participating in physical activity by non-Hispanic

Whites also. However, there are other barriers that

disproportionately affect minorities such as level of safety in the

neighborhood, no parks or lack of good programs. 

V. Future Research

We need more research to understand the social and

environmental barriers that interfere with racial and ethnic

minorities exercising in their neighborhood. Other promising

areas of research to increase participation in physical activity

among women and minorities may include access to affordable

fitness facilities, child care, crime prevention, and culturally

appropriate social marketing. 

VI. Conclusion

In summary, disparities in physical inactivity among minority

populations and the need to understand specific barriers

affecting racial and ethnic minorities have been identified. The

prevalence of physical inactivity is higher in women than in

men, but it is highest among minority women. Several correlates

of physical inactivity in minority populations have been found,

especially among children, such as television watching,

neighborhood safety, and lack of adequate facilities. Other

important determinants of physical inactivity include lack of

culturally relevant forms of physical activity, participation in

group activities, and the presence of co-morbidities associated

with sedentary lifestyle and obesity. 

There is a need to better understand how the built-environment

influences participation in physical activity among minority

populations. Research translation efforts that are linguistically

and culturally appropriate are needed to facilitate the learning

and adoption of lifetime active lifestyles among underserved

populations. In an era where obesity and physical inactivity have

been identified as major public health problems for the general

public, we should not ignore the need of populations with the

highest health disparities. 

6

Other Socioeconomic Factors Influencing Minority

Physical Activity

Older women may be more fearful of engaging in leisure-time

physical activity if they perceive that the crime in their

neighborhood is high (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,

1999). This barrier was less significant among men. Since

minorities tend to live in areas with high poverty, the interaction

between poverty, area of residence and changes in physical

activity in minority populations is of interest. Findings from the

Alameda County Study suggest that these two are linked and

deserve further validation in other communities. 

Differences in Physical Activity Preferences Among

Racial/Ethnic Minorities

The types of physical activities in which racial and ethnic

minorities prefer to participate are different from those of nonHispanic Whites. For example, social dancing consistently was

one of the top five physical activities reported among nonHispanic Black and Mexican American men and women as well

as among non-Hispanic White women. Non-Hispanic White

men reported golf as one of their top 10 activities, whereas

Black men and Mexican American men reported basketball,

baseball and soccer as popular activities. Walking and gardening

consistently ranked in the “top 3” list for all groups. However,

the advice to go for a walk cannot be generalized to all segments

of society since certain neighborhoods may be perceived as less

safe than others.

Acculturation may be a strong indicator influencing participation

in physical activity, especially among Mexican Americans.

Using a nationally representative sample of Mexican Americans,

preferred language spoken at home was used as an indicator of

acculturation. Mexican American men and women who spoke

mainly English at home had a prevalence of physical inactivity

that was similar to those of non-Hispanic Whites, whereas those

who spoke mostly Spanish at home had higher levels of physical

inactivity (Crespo, Smit, et al., 2000). Interestingly, among those

who reported speaking both languages at home (English and

Spanish), the prevalence of physical inactivity was in between

those who spoke English and Spanish, suggesting a doseresponse relationship between participation and leisure-time

physical activity and acculturation. These findings are in

agreement with those reported earlier by Ahmed et al., (2005)

using a national representative sample of Hispanics. Other

studies, however, have found that acculturation to the U.S. is a

risk factor for obesity-related behaviors such as physical

inactivity among Asian-American and Hispanic adolescents

(Ahmed et al., 2005; Unger, Reynolds, Shakib, Spruijt-Metz,

Sun, & Johnson, 2004). Thus, more research is needed to further

understand which components of acculturation are strongly

related to physical inactivity.

Barriers and Opportunities for Physical Activity

The Robert Wood Johnson Diversity Report on Physical Activity
7

Please Post

President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports

200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20201

(202) 690-9000 • FAX (202) 690-5211

In an era where obesity and

physical inactivity have been

identified as major public health

problems for the general public,

we should not ignore the need

of populations with the highest

health disparities.

Carlos J. Crespo, DrPH, MS

Associate Professor

Department of Social and

Preventive Medicine 

University at Buffalo

The State University of New York
8

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