Physical activity, fruit & vegetable intake, and health related quality of life among older Chinese, Hispanics, and Blacks in New York City

Background/Significance: Good nutrition and physical activity (PA) promote health-related quality of life (HQROL), but little research has examined these relationships among older minority populations. This study explores the relationship between adequate PA, fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake, and HQROL among minority groups ≥60 years of age in New York City (NYC).

Methods: REACH U.S. Risk Factor Survey data targeting minority subgroups in NYC from 2009-2012 yielded approximately 1,122 Chinese, 1,018 Blacks, and 1,544 Hispanics ≥60 years of age. Demographic and health-related variables were run by subgroup, correlations were run for outcomes, and logistic regression evaluated the relationship between adequate PA, F&V intake, and HQROL measures.

Results: Hispanics were significantly more likely to engage in adequate PA (39%) compared to Chinese (35%) and Blacks (32%). Hispanics and Blacks were significantly more likely than Chinese to eat recommended daily F&Vs (31% vs. 20%). Hispanics reported significantly worse general health status and experienced more physical and mental health days. Significant correlations were seen between general health and PA for all subgroups, general health and F&V for Chinese, mental health days and PA for Blacks and Hispanics, and physical health days and PA for Blacks and Hispanics. No significant correlations were found for F&V and mental or physical health days. Results of regression models will be presented, further adjusting for socio-demographic variables.

Discussion/Conclusions: Findings indicate variations between HRQOL, PA, and F&V by NYC minority subgroup, suggesting that aging minorities in NYC have varying health needs. Potential policy implications and strategies will be discussed.