Charles J. Neighbors ^1*, David X. Marquez ², Bess H. Marcus ³

¹ National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University
² University of Massachusetts
³ The Miriam Hospital and Brown Medical School

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: cneighbors{at}casacolumbia.org.

	Abstract

Studies of leisure-time physical activity disparities for Hispanic individuals have not adjusted for sociodemographic confounds or accounted for variation by country of origin. We used the National Health Interview Survey to compare leisure-time physical activity among Hispanic and non-Hispanic White persons. All Hispanic subgroups were less active than were non-Hispanic White people, yet significant heterogeneity existed among Hispanic persons. Sociodemographic factors partly accounted for disparities among men; disparities among women persisted despite multivariate adjustments. Interventions must attend to these underserved yet varied subcommunities.

Key Words: Exercise/Physical Activity, Gender, Health Promotion, Hispanics/Latinos, Socioeconomic Factors