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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

James H. Swan, PhD¹, Keith Turner, PhD¹, and Robert Friis, PhD². (1) Department of Applied Gerontology, University of North Texas, AGER P.O. Box 310919, Chilton 359, Denton, TX 76203-0919, 940-565-3454, jswan@pacs.unt.edu, (2) Health Science, California State University Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840

Overweight and health status differ substantially across racial/ethnic groups, with whites showing more positive health status than nonwhites. Physical activity is known to differ greatly by race/ethnicity, with African Americans and Hispanics less likely to partake than whites. This research addressed the extent to which overweight as measured by body mass index (BMI) is related to race/ethnicity, controlling for physical activity. Data available from the National Health Interview Survey were used for the 1999-2001 period, constituting 18,334 elder (age 65 or over) subjects. Analyses encompassed six race/ethnicity categories: Mexican-American, Puerto Rican, other Hispanic, African-American, other nonwhite, and white. Age, gender, marital status, and education were controlled for. African Americans showed higher BMI, other Nonwhites lower BMI scores, than whites. Despite reporting less physical activity than Whites, Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans did not show significantly different BMIs. Those who reported 30 minutes of moderate activity at least five days per week showed lower BMI, but the relationship of BMI to race/ethnicity was unchanged, nor did adding controls for reported weekly participation in vigorous activity and strengthening exercises affect the relationship of BMI to race/ethnicity. Strengthening activities showed as strong an effect on BMI as did moderate activity Overall, physical activity did not appear to play a major mediating effect in the relationship of BMI to race/ethnicity. We conclude that as important as interventions are to increase physical activity in varied minority aging groups, success in such efforts will not in itself erase differences in obesity.

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