142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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313627
Relationship Between Social, Neighborhood Factors and Physical Activity in a Low-Income African American Inner-City Neighborhood

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 11:30 AM - 11:50 AM

Lori Andersen, MEd, CHES , Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
Jeanette Gustat, PhD , Department of Epidemiology; Prevention Research Center, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
Adam B. Becker, PhD, MPH , Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Background: Physical inactivity is related to many diseases yet many Americans are not meeting the physical activity (PA) recommendations.  The Social Ecological Model suggests several levels of influence contribute to health behavior and outcomes including personal, family and peer relationships, and neighborhood characteristics.  The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between two dimensions of social support, several levels of neighborhood influence and self-reported leisure-time PA. 

Methods: A total of 497 household interviews assessing PA and the community and social environment were conducted with adults in three, low-income, primarily AA urban neighborhoods in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Logistic regression models were developed to assess demographic characteristics, knowledge of PA benefits, general support, and support specific for PA, and neighborhood characteristics.  Factor analysis was used to create scales assessing support and neighborhood. 

Results: In preliminary analyses, just over half the sample met the recommendations for PA.  Females were less likely to meet PA recommendations compared to males (OR: 0.47, CI: 0.38-0.70) and an inverse relationship existed between age and PA (OR: 0.97, CI:0.95-0.98).  Social support specific for PA (OR: 1.10, CI: 1.02-1.14), and being in a romantic relationship (OR: 1.53, CI: 1.03-2.28) were significantly related to PA after controlling for gender and age.  Knowledge of benefits of PA and general support were not related to PA.  Future analyses will examine neighborhood characteristics related to PA. 

Conclusions: These findings suggest that several levels of influence, including the social environment, are important components of encouraging AA adults to be physically active.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Identify neighborhood characteristics associated with physical activity in a low-income African American inner city population Identify social support characteristics associated with physical activity in a low-income African American inner city population

Keyword(s): Physical Activity, African American

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I conducted the analysis for this study. I am a doctoral student and have been working with the team members on the topic.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.