title: The Role of Marital Status in Physical Activity Among African American and White Men.
abstract: Racial differences in physical activity among men are well documented; however, little is known about the impact of marital status on this relationship. Data from the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2006 was used to determine whether the association of race and physical activity among men varied by marital status. Marital status was divided into two categories: married and unmarried. Physical activity was determined by the number of minutes per week a respondent engaged in household/yard work, moderate and vigorous activity, or transportation (bicycling and walking) over the past 30 days. The sample included 7,131 African American (29%) and White(71%) men aged 18 years and older. All models were estimated using logistic regression. Because the interaction term of race and marital status was statistically significant (p < .001), the relationship between race, physical activity, and marital status was examined using a variable that reflects the different levels of the interaction term. After adjusting for age, income, education, weight status, smoking status, and self-rated health, African American married men had lower odds (odds ratio = 0.53, 95% confidence interval = [0.46-0.61], p < .001) of meeting federal physical activity guidelines compared with White married men. Possible dissimilarities in financial and social responsibilities may contribute to the racial differences observed in physical activity among African American and White married men.
authors: Emory University College of Arts and Sciences, Atlanta, GA, USA Program for Research on Men's Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors: Tichelle C
authors: TC
authors: Porch
authors: Program for Research on Men's Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors: Caryn N
authors: CN
authors: Bell
authors: Program for Research on Men's Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors: Janice V
authors: JV
authors: Bowie
authors: Program for Research on Men's Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors: Therri
authors: T
authors: Usher
authors: Program for Research on Men's Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors: Elizabeth A
authors: EA
authors: Kelly
authors: Program for Research on Men's Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors: Thomas A
authors: TA
authors: LaVeist
authors: Program for Research on Men's Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA rthorpe@jhsph.edu.
authors: Roland J
authors: RJ
authors: Thorpe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015444:Exercise; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: disparities; marriage; men; men’s health; physical activity; race