Changes and Tracking of Physical Activity Across Seven Years in Mexican-American and European-American Mothers

Longitudinal changes in physical activity among 129 Mexican-American (mean age 30.8; SD = 5.6) and 97 European-American (mean age 31.2; SD = 5.4) women were studied. Two physical activity recall interviews were administered at baseline and 7 years later. At baseline, European-American women reported more vigorous leisure activity (p <.005) than Mexican-Americans, and Mexican-Americans reported more moderate work activity (p <.02) than European-Americans. Virtually all components of physical activity increased significantly over the 7 years. Pearson tracking correlations for total energy expenditure were about r = 0.30. The finding that both groups increased physical activity over time was unexpected and was unrelated to a reduction in the number of preschool children in the homes over time.