As exercise professionals ranging from clinicians to personal trainers to researchers, we know that most adults in the United States are not getting enough moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity (MVPA). It is important for us to understand who may be at especially high risk of physical inactivity.
Prior studies have shown that there may be differences in MVPA participation by race and ethnicity. Yet, many studies tend to use very broad groupings of race/ethnicity, often “Black,” “White,” “Hispanic” and “Other.” Although these socially constructed categories may be useful for understanding some aspects of health, it is important to recognize that there is vast diversity within these subgroups. We believed it would be helpful to be able to understand the differences in MVPA participation in more specific subgroups.
The American Cancer Society has built a large cohort of over 303,000 participants from across the United States and Puerto Rico called the). (CPS-3). This dataset includes information on self-reported MVPA, race, ethnicity, and nativity (also known as country of birth, which is another important aspect of culture that may be related to physical activity behaviors). In our study, published in the July 2022 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®, we used CPS-3 data to compare leisure-time MVPA participation in 18 different racial, ethnic and nativity groups.
We found that white participants born outside of the U.S. were the most physically active, and non-white (including Black, Indigenous and mixed race) Latinos born outside of the U.S. were the least physically active of all the subgroups we examined. The difference in leisure-time MVPA between white participants born abroad and non-white Latino participants born abroad was about 6 MET-hours per week, which is the equivalent of about 2 hours of brisk walking, or 1 hour of jogging, per week.
We were also able to look at differences in MVPA within the Latino subgroup. Latinos born in Puerto Rico were considerably less active (by about 7 MET-hours/week) than Latinos born in the U.S., Mexico or all other countries combined.
It is important to point out that many existing physical activity surveys were developed for and tested on predominately white participants. Therefore, results may be affected if these surveys are used in a more diverse study, like CPS-3. In prior work within CPS-3, we compared responses to our MVPA survey with accelerometer data in Black, Latino and white participants. We found that participants in these three racial/ethnic groups had similar agreement between survey-measured MVPA and accelerometer-measured MVPA. This work supports confidence in the current survey-based findings.
As exercise professionals, we should seek to understand why there is inequity in MVPA accumulation. With that information, we can work to find solutions to increase MVPA in all population subgroups. We can educate ourselves on cultural-specific barriers to MVPA; test culturally tailored interventions and messages; and provide thoughtful, appropriate, and inclusive physical activity programming to communities. We can also lobby for safe and free physical activity opportunities.
Erika Rees-Punia, PhD, MPH, is a senior principal scientist at the American Cancer Society. Dr. Rees-Punia’s research focuses on the benefits of physical activity in those with a history of cancer, physical activity measurement, and the promotion of physical activity through digital interventions. She has been a member of ACSM since 2014.
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