Correlates of Lifestyle Physical Activity in Older Latinos

Aims: The purpose of this secondary analysis is to identify the background (demographics, acculturation, environment, current health, and light physical activity [PA]) and intrapersonal (self-efficacy) correlates of moderate/ vigorous PA in older community-dwelling Latinos.  Despite growing numbers, relatively poor overall health status, and low levels of PA, few studies have examined the impact of these characteristics on PA in older Latinos.  Current correlate studies have not included environment and social-cognitive variables in the study of older Latinos, and rarely utilized both subjective and objective measures of PA.

Methods: The design was descriptive cross-sectional.  Participants were: self-identified Latinos, without disability, a score <14 on a 21-point Mini-Mental State Examination.  They were recruited from predominantly Latino Chicago communities at health fairs and community/senior centers.  Background characteristic measures included gender, age, marital status, education, perceived income, Acculturation Rating Scale for Latinos, chronic health problems, depressive symptoms, and environment.  Environment was measured with one subjective measure (perceived neighborhood problems) and three objective measures utilizing geocoded participant addresses (concentrated disadvantage, rates of crime, and proximity to parks).  For the intrapersonal correlate, self-efficacy (confidence) for overcoming barriers to PA was used.   Light and moderate/vigorous PA was captured by self-report with the Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors PA (minutes/week), and objectively with accelerometer (minutes/day), worn for 7 days.  The three outcome variables included a) total moderate/vigorous intensity PA (self-report), b) leisure moderate/vigorous PA (self-report), and c) total moderate/vigorous PA (accelerometer). 

Results:  Participants were 174 Latino men (n = 46) and women (n = 128) aged 50-84 (M = 65.9).  Regression analyses showed that light PA (β = .23) and self-efficacy (β = 2.19) were significantly associated with self-report moderate/vigorous PA.  Likewise, proximity to parks (β = -.05), self-reported health (β = -59.08), light PA (β = .20), and self-efficacy (β = 2.13) had significant independent effects on self-report leisure moderate/vigorous PA.  However, when background and intrapersonal characteristics were regressed on moderate/vigorous PA from accelerometer, age (β = -.62), gender (β = -14.82), depressive symptoms (β = -13.43), light PA (β = .10), and self-efficacy (β = .35) had significant effects.

Conclusions:  Consistent with previous research, being older, male, and more depressive symptoms were significantly related to moderate/vigorous PA per accelerometer. Furthermore, better self-rated health (good, excellent) was related to more leisure MVPA per self-report.   Researchers should consider individual differences in PA intensity (both light and moderate/vigorous PA), and the impact of neighborhood environment on leisure PA, such as distance to parks, in the development of culturally-tailored interventions that promote PA in older adults.