• Michael Edwards and George Cunningham.
• Dept of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
• J Phys Act Health. 2013 Sep 1; 10 (7): 932-9.

BackgroundRacial health disparities are more pronounced among older adults. Few studies have examined how racism influences health behaviors. This study's purpose was to examine how opportunities for physical activity (PA) and community racism are associated with older racial minorities' reported engagement in PA. We also investigated how PA levels influenced health.MethodsWe analyzed survey data obtained from a health assessment conducted in 3360 households in Texas, USA, which included items pertaining to PA, community characteristics, and health.ResultsOur sample contained 195 women and 85 men (mean age 70.16), most of whom were African American. We found no direct relationship between opportunities and PA. Results suggested that perceived community racism moderated this association. When community racism was low, respondents found ways to be active whether they perceived opportunities or not. When community racism was high, perceived lack of opportunities significantly impeded PA engagement. We found the expected association between PA and health.ConclusionsResults suggested that negative effects of community racism were counteracted through increased opportunities for PA.

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