Risk behaviors by ethnicity and Texas-Mexico border residence.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether residence on the Texas-Mexico border would modify the effect of ethnic differences on risk behaviors.


METHODS
We performed an analysis of 1999-2003 cross-sectional data from the Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).


METHODS
Fifteen Texas-Mexico border counties compared with 239 Texas non-border counties.


METHODS
521 White and 1722 Hispanic residents of Texas-Mexico border counties and 16,904 White and 4933 Hispanic residents of Texas non-border counties.


METHODS
Health risk behaviors including overweight, obesity, physical inactivity, fruit or vegetable consumption, heavy drinking, binge drinking, and smoking.


RESULTS
Hispanic women and men were more likely to be overweight, obese, and physically inactive, and less likely to consume fewer than five fruits or vegetables per day than Whites regardless of residence. Ethnic differences in heavy and binge drinking differed by residence and sex. After adjustment for age, educational level, annual household income, perceived general health, and diabetes, most behaviors that were higher or lower remained significant among non-border residents but were no longer significant among border residents.


CONCLUSIONS
The only evidence of effect modification was binge drinking among males and most associations were weaker among border residents than among non-border residents.
Sanderson
Maureen
M
University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health at Brownsville, 80 Fort Brown, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA. maureen.sanderson@utb.edu
Fernandez
Maria E
ME
Dutton
Ronald J
RJ
Ponder
Arlette
A
Sosa
Dina
D
Peltz
Gerson
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D040343:Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000208:ethnology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012309:Risk-Taking; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People