Latinos That Receive Physical Activity Counseling Are More Likely To Engage In Aerobic Physical Activity

PURPOSE: Physical activity (PA) counseling by health professionals is associated with higher levels of PA. Although Latinos are more likely than non-Latino White adults to report receiving a recommendation to increase PA from a healthcare provider, less is known about the association between receiving counseling to increase PA and aerobic PA outcomes in Latinos. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between receiving PA counseling and aerobic PA levels among US Latino adults, and whether this association varied by sex. METHODS: We used cross-sectional 2016-2017 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data on Latinos ≥18 years of age (n = 6,853). Participants were asked if during the past 12 months they had been told by a doctor or health professional to increase their PA (‘PA counseling’). Aerobic PA was based on self-reported minutes of moderate-to-vigorous leisure-time aerobic PA per week, which were categorized into 1) none: 0 minutes/week of activity, 2) some activity: >0 min/week of activity but less than the recommended amount to meet guideline, and 3) met guideline: ≥150 min of moderate-vigorous activity or ≥ 75 min of vigorous activity or 150 min of moderate activity/week. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between having receiving PA counseling and level of aerobic PA. Models were adjusted for age, sex, education, nativity, and health insurance status, and were stratified by sex. RESULTS: In adjusted models, compared with Latinos that reported not receiving PA counseling, those that received PA counseling were significantly more likely to engage in some PA (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 1.58; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.17, 2.12). In models stratified by sex, Latina women that received PA counseling were significantly more likely to engage in some PA (aOR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.35, 2.66) and meet the aerobic PA guideline (aOR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.78). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that recommendations by healthcare providers to increase PA may help promote engagement in at least some aerobic PA among Latinos. Specifically, among Latinas, receiving this recommendation could encourage the performance of enough PA to meet the aerobic PA guideline. Future PA promotion efforts among Latinos should consider the role of healthcare providers in promoting PA.