Mexican-American children's perspectives: Neighborhood characteristics and physical activity in Texas-Mexico border colonias

Nelda Mier, Chanam Lee, Matthew Lee Smith, Xiaohui Wang, David Irizarry, Elias H. Avila-Rodriguez, Laura Trevino, Marcia G. Ory

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

The qualitative study described in this article investigated perceptions about environmental factors influencing physical activity (PA) among children from underserved neighborhoods known as colonias in the U.S.-Mexico border. Ten focus groups were conducted with 67 Mexican- American colonia children ages 8 to 13 living in one of the poorest border counties in the U.S. Analyses indicated that PA among children was influenced by neighborhood characteristics, including litter, speeding cars, unleashed dogs, and dark streets. The children also underlined intrapersonal and social environmental factors. Findings may inform policy makers and public health professionals about ways to promote PA among underserved children through urban planning and programs focusing on PA-supportive infrastructure, neighborhood safety, and family- and homebased physical activities.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)8-16
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Environmental Health
Volume76
Issue number3
StatePublished - Oct 2013

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

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