Secular Trends In Physical Activity Among Immigrants In The United States, 2009 To 2018

Abstract

A large body of literature has suggested that the majority of immigrants are at a higher risk of various health outcomes. Furthermore, immigrants are less likely to engage in regular physical activity (PA), compared to non-immigrant populations. Thus, it is important to periodically monitor temporal trends in PA among U.S. immigrants. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate secular trends in domain-specific PA among U.S. immigrant population between 2009 and 2018. METHODS: From the 2009-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a total of 7,282 immigrants (age ≥ 18 years) in the U.S. were included in this analysis. All domain-specific PA was assessed by a self-reported Global Physical Activity Questionnaire; the questions asked about the weekly frequency and duration of PA performed during work, recreational, and transit-related activities. Total PA was created by combining a weekly amount of three PA domains. Physical activity trends were evaluated by the whole group and the various subgroups, including different gender, age, race-ethnicity, and length of residence. Tests for linear trends were performed to investigate the trends of each PA time by all study cycles using orthogonal polynomial coefficients. RESULTS: Total PA showed an upward linear trend in female (ptrend = .04) and young adult (ptrend = .009) immigrants. Work-related PA showed an upward linear trend in young adult immigrants (ptrend = .01). Recreational PA indicated an upward linear trend in young adult (ptrend = .03) and Mexican American (ptrend < .001) immigrants and in immigrants living in the U.S. for 15-29 years (ptrend = .02). In contrast, we observed downward linear trends in transit-related PA for immigrants across male (ptrend = .04), middle-aged adult (ptrend = .01) and non-Hispanic Black groups (ptrend = .004) and in immigrants living in the U.S. for 15- 29 years (ptrend = .03). CONCLUSION: Although there was no significant linear trend in four domains of PA in the overall U.S. immigrant sample, the trends of domain-specific PA differed across various subgroups. Future work is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms driving the observed patterns. In addition, continuous monitoring of PA trends is required to better understand the behavioral changes of U.S. immigrants and predict their health outcomes.