Ethnic Differences in the Home Environment and Physical Activity Behaviors among Low-Income, Minority Preschoolers in Texas

Abstract

Purpose. To evaluate the ethnic differences in the home physical activity and screen time environment of preschoolers enrolled in Head Start. Design. Cross-sectional. Setting. Sixteen Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) Head Start centers, Texas. Subjects. Seven hundred and six preschoolers enrolled in HCDE Head Start centers and their parents. Measures. Items from the parent-reported Healthy Home Survey evaluating the home physical activity environment and the Nutrition Screening form evaluating screen time. Analysis. Mixed model linear and logistic regression analysis. Results. Of the parents, 75.06% were overweight or obese. Hispanic parents were more likely to have a yard or open space (p = .014) and usable play equipment in the yard (p = .019) for their children to play in compared to African-Americans. Conversely, more African-American parents reported having a television (TV) in their preschooler's bedroom (p = .032) and were less likely to cut down their child's TV viewing time (p = .036). African-American preschoolers were reportedly more likely to eat while watching TV (p = .009), play video games for ≥ 2 hours on weekdays (p = .018) and have computer time for ≥ 2 hours on weekends (p = .007), compared to Hispanics. Conclusion. The Hispanic participants of this study had a healthier home environment for physical activity and screen time as compared with their African-American counterparts. Future interventions targeting lifestyle change need to address these factors in an ethnic-specific manner.