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Racial, Ethnic and Gender Differences in Physical Activity

Author

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  • Henry Saffer
  • Dhaval M. Dave
  • Michael Grossman
Abstract
This study examines racial, ethnic and gender differentials in physical activity. Individuals engage in physical activity during leisure-time and also during in many other activities such as walking to work, home maintenance, shopping and child care. Physical activity also occurs on the job is this is referred to as work physical activity. Prior studies have shown that non-work physical activity has a positive impact on health while work physical activity has a negative impact on health. Many prior studies have relied primarily on leisure-time physical activity, which typically constitutes only about 10% of non-work physical activity and does not capture specific information on the intensity or duration of the activity. This study addresses these limitations by constructing measures of physical activity from the American Time Use Surveys, which are all-inclusive and capture the duration of each activity combined with its intensity based on the Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET). Non-work physical activity tends to be significantly lower for Blacks, Hispanics, other racial groups than for Whites and lower for males than for females. These adjusted differentials are consistent with racial, ethnic and gender differentials in health. About 25-46% of the differentials in non-work physical activity can be attributed to differences in education, socio-economic status, proxies for time constraints, and locational attributes.

Suggested Citation

  • Henry Saffer & Dhaval M. Dave & Michael Grossman, 2011. "Racial, Ethnic and Gender Differences in Physical Activity," NBER Working Papers 17413, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:17413
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    Cited by:

    1. Colman, Gregory & Dave, Dhaval, 2013. "Exercise, physical activity, and exertion over the business cycle," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 11-20.
    2. Gregory Colman & Dhaval Dave, 2018. "Unemployment and Health Behaviors over the Business Cycle: A Longitudinal View," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 85(1), pages 93-120, July.
    3. Kerry L. Papps & Alex Bryson & James Reade, 2023. "Running Up that Hill: Fitness in the Face of Recession," DoQSS Working Papers 23-03, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.
    4. Dhaval M. Dave & Muzhe Yang, 2019. "Maternal and Fetal Health Effects of Working during Pregnancy," NBER Working Papers 26343, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Farrell, Lisa & Hollingsworth, Bruce & Propper, Carol & Shields, Michael A., 2014. "The socioeconomic gradient in physical inactivity: Evidence from one million adults in England," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 55-63.
    6. Adelle M R Souza & Gerda G Fillenbaum & Sergio L Blay, 2015. "Prevalence and Correlates of Physical Inactivity among Older Adults in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(2), pages 1-14, February.
    7. Joelle Abramowitz, 2016. "The connection between working hours and body mass index in the U.S.: a time use analysis," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 131-154, March.
    8. Lisa Farrell & Bruce Hollingsworth & Carol Propper & Michael A Shields, 2013. "The Socioeconomic Gradient in Physical Inactivity in England," The Centre for Market and Public Organisation 13/311, The Centre for Market and Public Organisation, University of Bristol, UK.
    9. Bhat, Chandra R. & Pinjari, Abdul R. & Dubey, Subodh K. & Hamdi, Amin S., 2016. "On accommodating spatial interactions in a Generalized Heterogeneous Data Model (GHDM) of mixed types of dependent variables," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 240-263.
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    11. Olufolake (Odufuwa) Akanni & Matthew Lee Smith & Marcia G. Ory, 2017. "Cost-Effectiveness of a Community Exercise and Nutrition Program for Older Adults: Texercise Select," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-16, May.
    12. Farhana Safa & Natalia McClellan & Sarah Bonato & Sergio Rueda & Kelly K. O’Brien, 2022. "The Role of the Social Determinants of Health on Engagement in Physical Activity or Exercise among Adults Living with HIV: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-37, October.
    13. Karen Smith Conway & David P. Niles, 2017. "Cigarette Taxes, Smoking—and Exercise?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(8), pages 1019-1036, August.
    14. Gregory J. Colman & Dhaval M. Dave, 2013. "Physical Activity and Health," NBER Working Papers 18858, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Kelly, Inas R. & Doytch, Nadia & Dave, Dhaval, 2019. "How does body mass index affect economic growth? A comparative analysis of countries by levels of economic development," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 58-73.

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    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior

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