Introduction: Foreign-born Latinos engage in higher levels of occupational physical activity (OPA), yet lower levels of leisure-time physical activity, compared with US-born Latinos. However, limited research has examined the association between OPA and sedentary activity among US-born and foreign-born Latinos. The purpose of our study was to examine associations between OPA level and sedentary activity outcomes among US-born and foreign-born Latinos. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that those engaging in higher levels of OPA would be less likely to engage in high sedentary activity. Methods: We used cross-sectional 2013-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data on Latinos ≥20 years of age (n=4,275). Participants were asked how many minutes of sedentary behavior they engaged in per week (i.e., time spent sitting, but not including sleep). Based on approximate tertiles of the observed distribution of sedentary activity, time spent in weekly sedentary activity was classified into 3 groups: low (≤1260 minutes); medium (> 1260 to ≤ 2520 minutes); and high (> 2250). OPA was measured based on minutes of moderate-to-vigorous OPA per week, which were categorized into no OPA (0 min/week), medium OPA (<240 min/week), and high OPA (≥240 min/week). Multinomial logistic regression models that accounted for the complex survey design of NHANES were used to estimate the associations between level of OPA with sedentary activity level, stratified by nativity. All models were adjusted for age, sex, and education. Results: In adjusted models among US-born Latinos, compared with those that did not engage in any OPA, individuals that engaged in high OPA levels were significantly less likely to engage in high levels of sedentary activity (Odds Ratio OR: 0.36, 95% Confidence Interval CI: 0.26-0.51). Among foreign-born Latinos, compared with individuals that reported no OPA, those that engaged in high levels of OPA were also significantly less likely to engage in high levels of sedentary activity (OR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.31-0.58). Conclusions: In conclusion, these findings suggest that engaging in a high level of OPA may contribute to less sedentary activity among US-born and foreign-born Latinos. Future physical activity promotion efforts should consider the role of various domains of physical activity and sedentary activity in understanding physical activity patterns among US-born and foreign-born Latinos.
Murillo et al. (Tue,) studied this question.