Accelerometer-Determined Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior among Majority-Minority Sample of Adults: The Houston TRAIN Study

Authors

Ashleigh Johnson, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Austin, TXFollow
Kelley Pettee Gabriel, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Austin, TXFollow
Deborah Salvo, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Austin, TXFollow
Erin Dooley, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Austin, TXFollow
Casey Philip Durand, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TXFollow
Gregory Knell, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TXFollow
Samantha Kreis, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Austin, TXFollow
Harold W. Kohl III, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Austin, TXFollow

Abstract

Based on self-reported data, minority populations are often found to be less active compared to whites, which may contribute to overall health disparities. The Houston Travel Related Activity in Neighborhoods (TRAIN) Study provides an opportunity to examine differences in accelerometer-determined physical activity levels among a majority-minority sample of adults. PURPOSE: To describe and examine differences in accelerometer-determined physical activity and sedentary behavior among TRAIN participants at baseline, by race/ethnic groups and sex. METHODS: Study participants were part of an ongoing natural experiment of transportation-related physical activity. At baseline, a group of participants self-selected to wear an ActiGraph wGT3X-BT monitor for 7 consecutive days during waking hours. Participants with ≥4 days with ≥ 10 hours/day were included in analysis. Freedson cut-points were used to quantify time spent sedentary (min/d) and in light- and moderate and vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) (min/d). Vector magnitude (VM) estimates are also reported. Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare accelerometer based estimates by 1) race/ethnicity, and 2) sex and race/ethnicity groups. RESULTS: 365 TRAIN participants had valid accelerometer data, 62.1% were female and 28.7% and 37.8% were black and Hispanic, respectively. There was a significant difference in VM (counts/min/day) across race/ethnicity groups with blacks and Hispanics having the highest and lowest median values, respectively (pCONCLUSION: For blacks, findings conflict with results typically found with self-reported data. Yet, findings for Hispanics align with existing literature, with the majority of disparity shown in women.

Recommended Citation

Johnson, Ashleigh; Pettee Gabriel, Kelley; Salvo, Deborah; Dooley, Erin; Durand, Casey Philip; Knell, Gregory; Kreis, Samantha; and Kohl, Harold W. III (2018) "Accelerometer-Determined Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior among Majority-Minority Sample of Adults: The Houston TRAIN Study," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2: Iss. 10, Article 12.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss10/12