Ethnic Differences in the Home Environment and Physical Activity Behaviors among Low-Income, Minority Preschoolers in Texas. Issue 4 (March 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chuang, Ru-Jye; Sharma, Shreela; Skala, Katie; Evans, Alexandra
• Is Part Of: American journal of health promotion. Volume 27:Issue 4(2013)
• Page Start: 270
• Page End: 278
• Publication Date: 2013-03
• Subjects: Physical Activity -- Preschool -- Children -- Low-Income -- Home Environment -- Parental Practice -- Television Viewing -- Prevention Research -- Manuscript format: research -- Research purpose: descriptive -- Study design: cross-sectional -- Outcome measure: behavioral -- Setting: family -- Health focus: physical activity, weight control -- Strategy: education, culture change -- Target population age: preschoolers (3–5 years of age) -- Target population circumstances: income level, race/ethnicity; Health promotion -- Periodicals; Health Promotion; Health promotion; Periodicals; Periodicals; 613.05
• DOI: 10.4278/ajhp.110427-QUAN-171
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0890-1171

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the ethnic differences in the home physical activity and screen time environment of preschoolers enrolled in Head Start. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Sixteen Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) Head Start centers, Texas. Subjects: Seven hundred and six preschoolers enrolled in HCDE Head Start centers and their parents. Measures: Items from the parent-reported Healthy Home Survey evaluating the home physical activity environment and the Nutrition Screening form evaluating screen time. Analysis: Mixed model linear and logistic regression analysis. Results: Of the parents, 75.06% were overweight or obese. Hispanic parents were more likely to have a yard or open space (p = .014) and usable play equipment in the yard (p = .019) for their children to play in compared to African-Americans. Conversely, more African-American parents reported having a television (TV) in their preschooler's bedroom (p = .032) and were less likely to cut down their child's TV viewing time (p = .036). African-American preschoolers were reportedly more likely to eat while watching TV (p = .009), play video games for ≥ 2 hours on weekdays (p = .018) and have computer time for ≥ 2 hours on weekends (p = .007), compared to Hispanics. Conclusion: The Hispanic participants of this study had a healthier home environment for physical activity and screen time as compared with their African-American counterparts. Future interventions targeting lifestyle change need to address these factors in an ethnic-specific manner.