Reduced Physical Activity Levels Associated with Obesity in Rural Hispanic Adolescent Females

• The associations among physical activity (PA), screen behaviors (SB), and body mass in Hispanic adolescents in rural communities are not well defined.
• Surveys were used to collect self-reported data on time spent in PA and SB along with direct measurements of BMI and waist circumference from non-Hispanic white (312 males, 301 females) and Hispanic (671 males, 610 females) adolescents (13–17 years old).
• Regardless of ethnicity, females participated in less PA (in [PAi] or outside [PAo] of school) than males. Obese Hispanic males and females participated 20% and 31%, respectively, less in PA in school than their obese non-Hispanic white counterparts, and 17% and 37%, respectively, less in PA outside of school. Furthermore, obese Hispanic females participated 28% less in PA outside of school than normal-weight Hispanic females, suggesting that reduced PA levels, especially outside of school, may contribute to the development of obesity in this group. Males and females were over two-fold more likely to be obese when they participated in PAo for <1 hr/day, which further suggests the importance of PAo for the odds of developing obesity, and supports the national PA guidelines for this age group.
• The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Hispanics, especially females, is closely associated with reduced PA in and outside of school. The time spent on SB had no significant impact on the prevalence of overweight or obesity in non-Hispanics whites and Hispanics, suggesting that PA levels in this population may have a greater impact on body mass than SB; however, the causal relationships in this population warrant further investigation.

Rodriguez, R., S. E. Weffer, et al. (2011). "Reduced Physical Activity Levels Associated with Obesity in Rural Hispanic Adolescent Females." Childhood Obesity (Formerly Obesity and Weight Management) 7(3):194-205.