Quality of life and physical activity among foreign-born and u.s.-born older black men with hypertension residing in New York City

Background: Prior research shows differences in health between foreign-born and U.S.-born Blacks and this difference may be modified by level of acculturation. Examining nativity with quality of life and physical activity among hypertensive older Black men may give insight on unique issues faced by this diverse population. Objective: To compare quality of life and physical activity between foreign-born and U.S.-born hypertensive older Black men in New York City. Methods: Baseline data from a large community-based randomized-control trial for Black men 50 years of age and older included self-reported measures of birthplace, health-related quality of life (EQ-5D) and physical activity (IPAQ-Short Version). Data was stratified by birthplace and analyzed. Results: Data for 652 men were collected. Foreign-born Black men had significantly higher quality of life scores when compared to U.S.-born Black men (EQ-5D=0.82 vs 0.78, p<0.05). However, foreign-born Blacks reported significantly less physical activity (IPAQ=2852 vs 3435 MET-minutes per week, p<0.05). Discussion: Past research indicates that compared to their U.S.-born counterparts, foreign-born Black men generally have better self-reported health, are more active and that these advantages diminish with time spent in the U.S. Our results however, indicate that foreign-born Black men report significantly less physical activity than U.S.-born Black men. Furthermore, foreign-born Black men still report higher health-related quality of life despite being less physically active. Given the growth of the foreign-born older Black population in urban areas of the U.S., it is essential to identify the correlates of health-related quality of life in this diverse community.