Search

Objectives: Examine differences between levels of physical activity and sitting time for residents of public housing developments located in high vs low income neighborhoods, and whether physical activity or sitting time had a greater influence on health outcomes., Design: Secondary data analysis from the Healthful Options Using Streets and Transportation in Our Neighborhoods (HOUSTON) project., Setting: Public housing developments located in Houston, TX., Participants: African American, adult males and females., Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported PA and time spent sitting on weekdays were measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form. Participants completed measures of BMI (kg/m2), % body fat (%BF) and resting blood pressure to assess health outcomes. Neighborhood income was defined as the median household income at the census block group level, obtained from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey., Results: All participants (N = 216) had an annual household income of < or = $19,350, and neighborhood income ranged from $9,226 to $57,618. Participants reported an average of 4342.2 +/- 4828.3 MET-min/wk of physical activity, and 4.5 +/- 3.2 hours of sitting per weekday. Time spent sitting was associated with BMI (beta = .50, t = 2.4, P = .018), %BF (beta = .87, t = 3.6, P =.000), and diastolic blood pressure (beta = .62, t = 2.1, P = .041). Physical activity was not significantly associated with any health outcomes., Conclusion: Our findings indicate that public housing residents' health statuses are vulnerable to sedentary behaviors regardless of the affluence of the neighborhood surrounding the housing development.

Objectives: Obesity in African American (AA) and Hispanic or Latina (HL) women has been partly attributed to low physical activity (PA) and cultural influences on body image. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship among body mass index (BMl=kg/m2), body image perception (perceived and desired) and PA., Design: The current study is a cross-sectional, secondary data analysis of the Health Is Power (HIP) project (1R01CA109403)., Setting: Women residing in Harris County, Houston and Travis County, Austin, Texas were recruited to participate in the study., Participants: Over four hundred (N=410) AA (N=262) and HL (N=148) women participated in the HIP project and were included in the current study., Main Outcome Measures: BMI, Pulvers' body image, PA and demographic data were collected from each participant., Results: Women (mean age=45.2 yrs) were educated (44% college graduates) and obese (mean BMI =34.6 kg/m2). Less than half perceived themselves correctly regardless of actual weight and ethnicity (P<.001). Nearly three-fourths of AA (73.9%) and less than half of HL (42.9%) women who were normal weight desired to be obese, and only 39.4% of AA and HL women desired to be normal weight. Women varied on measures of PA (P<.05). Regression analyses showed objectively measured PA was significantly associated with BMI and ethnicity (P<.01)., Conclusions: Results reveal dichotomous distortion in body images. Women need strategies to perceive normal weight as desirable for health and beauty, leading to increased PA and reducing obesity.