Xiaoxing He, MD, MPH, Institute for Health Services Research and Policy Studies, Northwestern University, 339 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 705, Chicago, IL 60611, 312-503-0437, xing@northwestern.edu and David W. Baker, MD, MPH, The Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 676 N. St. Clair Street, Room 255, Chicago, IL 60611.

Differences in leisure-time, household, and work-related physical activity by race/ethnicity and educational level

Objective: To examine differences in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), work-related physical activity (strenuous job or household chores; WRPA), and total physical activity (TPA) by race/ethnicity and education.

Methods: We studied a nationally-representative cohort of 9824 adults (51-61y), using data from the 1992 Health and Retirement Survey. Physical activity scores (0 −100 scale) were determined by self-reported frequency of participation in various types of light, vigorous, housework, and job-related physical activities. Multivariate analyses were conducted to determine the independent relationship between physical activity, race/ethnicity, and education after adjusting for differences in health, physical functioning, and body-mass index (BMI).

Results: LTPA was lower for Blacks and Hispanics compared to Whites, and LTPA steadily declined with lower levels of education. However, WRPA showed the reverse pattern, being lowest for Whites and persons with > 12 years of school. Because of these opposing trends, TPA was similar across racial/ethnic groups. After adjusting for health status, physical functioning, and BMI, Blacks (Β =2.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2 to 3.6) and Spanish-speaking Hispanics (Β=2.2, 95% CI 0.3 to 4.2) actually had slightly higher levels of TPA than Whites (p<0.01 and p=0.03, respectively). Individuals with 9-11 years of school also had significantly higher TPA than individuals with > 12 years of school (Β=5.3, 95% CI 3.9 to 6.7).

Conclusions: Differences in physical activity by race/ethnicity and education may be less than previously believed based on studies of LTPA alone. Differences in physical activity may explain little of observed disparities in rates of obesity and cardiovascular disease.

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