Individual, social and environmental correlates of physical activity in overweight and obese African American and Hispanic women: A structural equation model analysis

• Physical inactivity contributes to health disparities among ethnic minority women.
• Individual factors directly and indirectly influence physical activity.
• The physical environment influences individual factors via the social environment.

ObjectiveEcologic frameworks account for multilevel factors related to physical activity (PA) and may be used to develop effective interventions for women. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of individual, social and environmental factors on PA among African American and Hispanic women using structural equation modeling.MethodsOverweight and obese women (N = 164, 65.9% African American) completed a 7-day accelerometer protocol, a physical assessment, and questionnaires on body image, self-efficacy, motivational readiness, social support, home environment for physical activity and perceived environment. Trained assessors evaluated each participant's neighborhood and collected objective measures of physical activity resources and the pedestrian environment. Assessments were completed between 2006 and 2008.ResultsStructural model fit was acceptable (RMSEA = .030). Body composition and image was negatively associated with PA, and motivational readiness had an indirect effect on PA through body composition and image. PA resources and the pedestrian environment operated through the perceived environment to positively influence neighborhood cohesion, which was positively associated with body composition and image.ConclusionPA is more heavily influenced by intrapersonal factors related to weight. Improving intrapersonal factors related to weight and perceptions of the environment may lead to increased PA in African American and Hispanic women.