Acculturation, physical activity and television viewing in Hispanic women: findings from the 2005 California Women's Health Survey.

OBJECTIVE To assess the relationship of acculturation with physical activity and sedentary behaviours among Hispanic women in California. DESIGN Data from the 2005 California Women's Health Survey (CWHS) - a cross-sectional telephonic survey of health indicators and health-related behaviours and attitudes - were used. SETTING Using a random-digit dialling process, data were collected monthly from January to December 2005. SUBJECTS A total of 1298 women aged ≥18 years in California who self-identified as Hispanic. RESULTS Of the participants included in the analysis, 49 % were adherent to physical activity recommendations (with 150 min of weekly activity signifying adherence). There was no significant association between language acculturation and moderate or vigorous physical activity after controlling for potential confounders such as smoking, age and employment status. There was also no association between duration of residence in the USA and moderate or vigorous physical activity. Language acculturation was positively associated with television (TV) viewing, with highly acculturated women reporting more hours of TV viewing compared with women with an intermediate acculturation score (P = 0·0001), and those with an intermediate score reporting more hours of TV viewing compared with those with a low score (P = 0·003). This relationship persisted after inclusion of smoking, employment status, age and education in the model. CONCLUSIONS Higher levels of language acculturation may be associated with increased sedentary behaviours because of the influence of US culture on those women who have assimilated to the culture. Acculturation is an important factor to be taken into account when designing health education interventions for the Hispanic female population.