Can neighborhoods explain racial/ethnic differences in adolescent inactivity?
OBJECTIVE
To determine if neighborhoods and their attributes contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in adolescent inactivity.


METHODS
We undertook a cross-sectional analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 17,007), a nationally representative school-based study in the United States. Stratifying by gender, we used multivariate linear regression and multi-level modeling to determine whether neighborhood of residence may partially explain racial/ethnic disparities in adolescent physical inactivity, defined as hours viewing television or videos/DVDs and/or playing computer/video games each week.


RESULTS
Participants lived in largely segregated communities. Black and Hispanic adolescent girls reported higher levels of inactivity than White adolescent girls (21 vs. 15 vs. 13 hours/week, respectively, p <0.001). Similar patterns were seen in adolescent boys, with Black adolescent males reporting a mean of 26 hours/week; Hispanic boys a mean of 20 hours/week; and White boys a mean of 17 hours/week of inactivity (p <0.001). After accounting for between-neighborhood variation, there were no residual within-neighborhood differences in inactivity between Hispanic and White adolescent girls (gamma = -0.06, p =0.93); when living in the same neighborhood Hispanic and White girls had similar levels of inactivity. Black adolescent girls and boys were found to have higher levels of inactivity no matter where they lived (gamma =7.00, p <0.001 for girls; gamma = 6.96, p <0.001 for boys). Hispanic boys had similar patterns of inactivity to White boys (gamma =-1.57, p = 0.12). In both males and females, the reported rate of violent crime in the neighborhood was associated with inactivity, despite the individual's perception of his/her neighborhood as safe not being predictive.


CONCLUSIONS
Although inactivity varies by race/ethnicity and gender, only in Hispanic adolescent girls does neighborhood fully explain the differential use. Our findings suggest that approaches other than changing neighborhood characteristics are needed to eliminate racial/ethnic disparities in adolescent inactivity.
Richmond
Tracy K
TK
Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. tracy.richmond@childrens.harvard.edu
Field
Alison E
AE
Rich
Michael
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004467:Economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013690:Television / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D018910:Video Games / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*