Disparities in meeting physical activity guidelines for Asian-Americans in two metropolitan areas in the United States

Abstract Purpose Physical activity (PA) levels in Asian-American adults may be lower than other racial or ethnic groups. This analysis tested the hypothesis that Asian-Americans are less likely to meet PA guidelines than other racial or ethnic groups regardless of location of residence. Methods The New York City (NYC) Community Health Survey (2010, 2012) and Los Angeles County (LAC) Health Survey (2011) are cross-sectional surveys conducted with similar sampling strategies (NYC: n  = 17,462; LAC: n  = 8036). Meeting PA guidelines was calculated using self-reported moderate or vigorous minutes per week; multivariable regression models adjusted for demographics, insurance, nativity and language spoken at home. Data were weighted to be representative of their respective geographies. Results In both areas, Asian-Americans had a low prevalence of meeting PA guidelines (NYC: 42.7 [39.2–46.3]; LAC: 55.8 [51.2–60.2]). Other racial or ethnic groups were more likely to meet PA guidelines versus Asian-Americans after adjustment for covariates in NYC (white odds ratio [OR]: 1.35 [1.09–1.68]; black OR: 1.61 [1.28–2.02]; Hispanic OR: 2.14 [1.74–2.62]) and in LAC (white OR: 1.45 [1.13–1.86]; Hispanic OR: 1.71 [1.32–2.22]). Conclusions Asian-Americans were less likely to meet PA guidelines compared with other racial or ethnic groups in NYC and LAC. Description of cultural and neighborhood-level factors and of types of PA in specific Asian subgroups is needed.