DIFFERENCES IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BETWEEN MEXICAN-AMERICAN AND NON-HISPANIC WHITE ADOLESCENTS

1250 Previous studies have shown differences in physical activity between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White Adolescents. The goal of this investigation was to test the hypothesis that Mexican-American (MA) adolescents engage in less physical activity than non-Hispanic White (NHW) adolescents. The subjects were 7th grade students enrolled in Project PACT, a longitudinal study of physical activity changes in teenagers. Physical activity was assessed using the self-report questionnaire developed by Aaron, et al. Data on 334 adolescents were analyzed, including 243 MA subjects (113 boys, 130 girls), and 91 NHW subjects (42 boys, 49 girls). There were no differences in light physical activity (defined as activities requiring ≤ 4.0 METS) either between MA and NHW subjects or between boys and girls. However, two way analysis of variance with gender and ethnicity as factors revealed a significant effect of ethnicity, but not of gender, on the frequency of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA, defined as activities requiring≥ 4.5 METS). NHW subjects engaged in MVPA more often (12.7 times/week) than MA subjects (10.5 times/week) (F=4.5, p=0.35). These results support previous findings of lower physical activity among MA youth, and underscore the importance of targeting MA youth for physical activity promoting interventions.