Associations of perceived neighborhood environment and physical activity with metabolic syndrome among Mexican-Americans adults: A cross sectional examination

Objective: This secondary data analysis examined associations among perceived neighborhood environmental factors, physical activity (PA), and the presence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in Mexican-American (MA) adults. Seventy-five MA adults (mean age of 37.9 ± 9.3 years) provided anthropometric, biomarker, and survey data. The Neighborhood Scales Questionnaire evaluated six perceived neighborhood factors: walking environment, aesthetic quality, safety, violence, social cohesion, and activities with neighbors. The Rapid Assessment of PA questionnaire assessed PA. MS was determined according to ATP III criteria. Results: PA was significantly associated with MS (OR =.338, CI.204-.738). Neighborhood factors of safety (B =.255, p =.024), walking environment (B =.384, p =.001), and social cohesion (B =.230, p =.043) were positively associated with PA. No other neighborhood factors were significantly related to PA. Analyses examining whether neighborhood factors moderated the relationship between PA and MS were not significant.