Purpose: Physical activity (PA) levels in Asian-American adults may be lower than other racial or ethnic groups. This analysis tested the hypothesis that Asian-Americans are less likely to meet PA guidelines than other racial or ethnic groups regardless of location of residence.
Methods: The New York City (NYC) Community Health Survey (2010, 2012) and Los Angeles County (LAC) Health Survey (2011) are cross-sectional surveys conducted with similar sampling strategies (NYC: n = 17,462; LAC: n = 8036). Meeting PA guidelines was calculated using self-reported moderate or vigorous minutes per week; multivariable regression models adjusted for demographics, insurance, nativity and language spoken at home. Data were weighted to be representative of their respective geographies.
Results: In both areas, Asian-Americans had a low prevalence of meeting PA guidelines (NYC: 42.7 [39.2-46.3]; LAC: 55.8 [51.2-60.2]). Other racial or ethnic groups were more likely to meet PA guidelines versus Asian-Americans after adjustment for covariates in NYC (white odds ratio [OR]: 1.35 [1.09-1.68]; black OR: 1.61 [1.28-2.02]; Hispanic OR: 2.14 [1.74-2.62]) and in LAC (white OR: 1.45 [1.13-1.86]; Hispanic OR: 1.71 [1.32-2.22]).
Conclusions: Asian-Americans were less likely to meet PA guidelines compared with other racial or ethnic groups in NYC and LAC. Description of cultural and neighborhood-level factors and of types of PA in specific Asian subgroups is needed.
Keywords: Asian-Americans; Exercise; Health status disparities; Population surveillance; Urban health.
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