Running Is for The Rich: A study focused on Hispanic Women cultural identity affecting diet & fitness among high and low incomes By Veroly Diaz, SUNY Purchase College, State University of New York, May 2018

Abstract: This study will explore factors that influence a negative diet and fitness rate among Latinas. In the United States, Hispanic women work more often than in home countries but experience poor health outcomes due to socioeconomic status (SES) and cultural identity. In other words, are low-income women facing poor health due to class and culture Intersectionality? This study is important to me because one summer day, I asked my mother to join me for a run since we live in a middle-class neighborhood, where running on roads and trail tracks are a norm. She laughed and responded: “correr es para los ricos; tengo que cocinar, limpiar, y prepareme para trabajo mañana,” which from Spanish to English translates to “running is for the rich, I have no time to do that I have to cook, clean, and prepare myself for work tomorrow. " As a Dominican- American sixteen year old I did not understand why she could not prioritize her health first or at least take a couple minutes of her day for herself. This study contributes to the minimal research on physical exercise and diet among low and high income women.