Neighborhood Walkability and Overweight/Obese Weight Status Among Latino Adults

Purpose: To examine whether aerobic physical activity mediates the association between neighborhood walkability and overweight/obesity weight status among Latino adults and whether the relative contribution of this pathway linking neighborhood walkability and aerobic activity varies by level of neighborhood social cohesion.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 2015.

Sample: NHIS adult Latino participants ≥18 years of age (n = 4303).

Measures: Neighborhood walkability, neighborhood social cohesion, body mass index, and aerobic physical activity.

Analysis: To determine whether physical activity mediates the relationship of walkability with overweight/obese weight status, a simple mediation analysis was conducted. Additionally, a moderated mediation analysis was conducted to test whether neighborhood social cohesion had a moderating effect on this relationship.

Results: On average, the sample was 41 years old, 51% were male, 34% had less than a high school education, and 57% were foreign-born. Neighborhood walkability was statistically significantly related to overweight/obese weight status (standardized effect= -0.05, standard error [SE] = 0.02, P = .01). The interaction between walkability and neighborhood social cohesion on physical activity was not significant (standardized effect = 0.06, SE = 0.03, P = .09). Thus, the indirect effect of walkability on overweight/obesity weight status through physical activity was not shown to be modified by neighborhood social cohesion.

Conclusion: Other neighborhood environment factors may play a role in the contribution of neighborhood walkability to overweight/obese weight status among Latinos.