Racial/ethnic and gender disparities in perceived stress and physical activity in college

Abstract

Objective: The beginning of college marks a decline in physical activity and racial/ethnic minorities have disproportionately lower rates of physical activity. This study examined the association between perceived stress and physical activity among an ethnically diverse sample of college-attending young adults. Participants: 2,396 students (36% male, 64% female) from a large public university. Methods: Cross-sectional survey administered across campus departments and general education courses. Results: Gender stratified multivariate analyses showed for both males and females, higher perceived stress was associated with less frequency of physical activity the past six months. Compared to non-Hispanic white females, Hispanic/Latina females and Asian/Pacific Islander females reported significantly less frequency of vigorous/moderate and strengthening/toning activities. There were no race/ethnic differences among males. Conclusions: These findings highlight the need to create targeted interventions for college men and women and among racial/ethnic subgroups.

Keywords:

• College students
• emerging adults
• exercise
• racial ethnic minority
• stress

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of the California State University, Fullerton.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity [Grant #5H75DP001814-02] and Center for the Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles and Obesity Prevention at California State University, Fullerton.