Contribution of parental acculturation and ethnic enclaves to walking to school among Latinos

Background: A Healthy People 2020 goal is to increase the proportion of children who walk to school as a means of increasing daily physical activity among children. Systematic reviews consistently find walking to school to be more common among Latino children compared to other race/ethnicities; however the mechanisms by which Latino ethnicity may increase the likelihood of walking to school are unclear. We hypothesized that children of less acculturated parents would have a greater likelihood of walking to school, and that living in an ethnic enclave would moderate this effect.

Methods: This analysis focused on Californian Latinos of Mexican origin, and used data from the 2011-12 California Health Interview Survey combined with the 2008-2012 5 year American Community Survey. Acculturation was proxied by language, nativity and years of U.S. residence, and census tracts composed of at least 50% Latinos were considered ethnic enclaves. Multi-level logistic models controlling for child demographics, parental income, education, neighborhood safety and distance to school were used.

Results: In a sample of 1,128 children, those of less acculturated parents were 33% to 98% more likely to walk to school than those of more acculturated parents depending on the proxy used, and the direction and statistical significance were consistent across all proxies. Living in a residential ethnic enclave had differential effects across the various acculturation proxies.

Conclusion: There is significant heterogeneity of walking to school among Latinos, and culture appears to be one mechanism by which Latino ethnicity is associated with walking to school.