Post by Puss in Boots on Jan 23, 2007 16:28:24 GMT -5
Poor of all races found less active than the affluent
Social class -- education, income and employment -- has more influence on whether people are physically active or not than racial or ethnic background, new research has found.
Previous national studies repeatedly have shown blacks and Hispanics tending to be less active in their leisure time than whites, according to Simon J. Marshall, professor of exercise and nutritional sciences at San Diego State University.
But he and a team of researchers focused on indicators of social class when they analyzed data from a poll of 9,806 adults in late 2002. The study was the National Physical Activity and Weight Loss Survey funded by several entities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
They found that lower income and lower educational levels were more likely to be linked to inactivity than racial or ethnic backgrounds.
"Differences between whites, African-Americans and Hispanics largely disappeared," he said. "Poor Hispanics are no more inactive than poor whites, for example."
Also, occupations proved to have little influence on leisure-time activity levels, taking into account age, sex and social class. That result surprised him, based on the idea that people who had manual labor jobs may want to relax physically during leisure time.
While he said it's good to look for health disparities based on race and ethnicity, it's also important to look at other factors to avoid stereotyping.
The research indicated that perhaps inactivity levels were due more to lack of access to recreational facilities in poor neighborhoods and to a more dangerous environment that keeps people indoors. Another factor could be limited access to wholesome foods, he said.
The team's research was published in this month's issue of Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, the journal of the Indianapolis-based American College of Sports Medicine.
People surveyed were asked whether, in a usual week, they engaged in moderate-intensity or vigorous activities for at least 10 minutes at a time. Those who answered "no" to both questions were classified as physically inactive.
Among other findings:
Hispanic women who did not complete high school are at the greatest risk of inactivity -- 32 percent.
Black men with a college education had the lowest prevalence of inactivity -- 4 percent.
Women tended to report being more physically inactive than men across all racial/ethnic groups -- 15 percent compared to 12.4 percent.
Marital status seemed to have little effect on inactivity levels.
Marshall said his findings indicate a need for further research into how class affects activity among minorities.
www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070123/LIVING01/701230318/-1/ZONES04
Social class -- education, income and employment -- has more influence on whether people are physically active or not than racial or ethnic background, new research has found.
Previous national studies repeatedly have shown blacks and Hispanics tending to be less active in their leisure time than whites, according to Simon J. Marshall, professor of exercise and nutritional sciences at San Diego State University.
But he and a team of researchers focused on indicators of social class when they analyzed data from a poll of 9,806 adults in late 2002. The study was the National Physical Activity and Weight Loss Survey funded by several entities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
They found that lower income and lower educational levels were more likely to be linked to inactivity than racial or ethnic backgrounds.
"Differences between whites, African-Americans and Hispanics largely disappeared," he said. "Poor Hispanics are no more inactive than poor whites, for example."
Also, occupations proved to have little influence on leisure-time activity levels, taking into account age, sex and social class. That result surprised him, based on the idea that people who had manual labor jobs may want to relax physically during leisure time.
While he said it's good to look for health disparities based on race and ethnicity, it's also important to look at other factors to avoid stereotyping.
The research indicated that perhaps inactivity levels were due more to lack of access to recreational facilities in poor neighborhoods and to a more dangerous environment that keeps people indoors. Another factor could be limited access to wholesome foods, he said.
The team's research was published in this month's issue of Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, the journal of the Indianapolis-based American College of Sports Medicine.
People surveyed were asked whether, in a usual week, they engaged in moderate-intensity or vigorous activities for at least 10 minutes at a time. Those who answered "no" to both questions were classified as physically inactive.
Among other findings:
Hispanic women who did not complete high school are at the greatest risk of inactivity -- 32 percent.
Black men with a college education had the lowest prevalence of inactivity -- 4 percent.
Women tended to report being more physically inactive than men across all racial/ethnic groups -- 15 percent compared to 12.4 percent.
Marital status seemed to have little effect on inactivity levels.
Marshall said his findings indicate a need for further research into how class affects activity among minorities.
www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070123/LIVING01/701230318/-1/ZONES04
