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The Influence of Parental Nativity, Neighborhood Disadvantage and the Built Environment on Physical Activity Behaviors in Latino Youth

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Abstract

Little evidence exists examining if parental nativity, neighborhood disadvantage and built environment features are associated with physical activity behaviors in Latino youth. We used a representative sample of Latino youth (n = 616) living in New Jersey to examine parental nativity associations with active transport to school, active use of sidewalks, use of local neighborhood parks, and use of neighborhood physical activity facilities. We estimated prevalence ratios (PR) that accounted for the complex survey design. Latino youth with foreign-born parents were generally more active than their US-born peers, and those with parents in the US 10 years or less were more likely to engage in active transport to school (PR = 1.51, 95 % CI 1.04–2.21), after adjusting for census-based neighborhood disadvantage, self-reported neighborhood measures, and geocoded distance to school. Parental nativity status should be considered in policies or interventions designed to increase physical activity among Latino youth.

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Acknowledgments

This study was in part supported by a grant from the RobertWood Johnson Foundation, Active Living Research, New Connections, and a Diversity Supplement (SEE) NIH, NCI, R01CA149705-02S1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, 683 Hoes Lane West, Room 205, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA

    Sandra E. Echeverría

  2. Department of Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Health Promotion, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA

    Punam Ohri-Vachaspati

  3. Center for State Health Policy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Michael J. Yedidia

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  1. Sandra E. Echeverría
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  2. Punam Ohri-Vachaspati
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  3. Michael J. Yedidia
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Correspondence to Sandra E. Echeverría.

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Echeverría, S.E., Ohri-Vachaspati, P. & Yedidia, M.J. The Influence of Parental Nativity, Neighborhood Disadvantage and the Built Environment on Physical Activity Behaviors in Latino Youth. J Immigrant Minority Health 17, 519–526 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9931-4

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