Epidemiology and Health

COVID-19: Original Article

Associations of racial and ethnic discrimination with adverse changes in exercise and screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: Tong Xia, Gilbert C. Gee, Jian Li, Xinyue Liu, Jin Dai, Lu Shi, Donglan Zhang, Zhuo Chen, Xuesong Han, Yan Li, Hongmei Li, Ming Wen, Dejun Su, Liwei Chen; Epidemiol Health. 2023;45:e2023013. Published online January 28, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2023013

6,085 View
103 Download
1 Web of Science
1 Crossref

Abstract Summary PDF Supplementary Material

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a growing prevalence of racial and ethnic discrimination occurred when many Americans struggled to maintain healthy lifestyles. This study investigated the associations of racial and ethnic discrimination with changes in exercise and screen time during the pandemic in the United States.

METHODS

We included 2,613 adults who self-identified as non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Asian, or Hispanic from the Health, Ethnicity, and Pandemic study, a cross-sectional survey conducted among a nationally representative sample of United States adults between October and November 2020. We assessed self-reported racial and ethnic discrimination by measuring COVID-19-related racial and ethnic bias and examined its associations with changes in exercise and screen time using multivariable logistic regression models. We analyzed data between September 2021 and March 2022.

RESULTS

COVID-19-related racial and ethnic bias was associated with decreased exercise time among non-Hispanic Asian (odds ratio [OR], 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13 to 1.89) and Hispanic people (OR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.32 to 2.77), and with increased screen time among non-Hispanic Black people (OR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.33 to 2.85), adjusting for age, sex, education, marital status, annual household income, insurance, and employment status.

CONCLUSIONS

Racial and ethnic discrimination may have adversely influenced exercise and screen time changes among racial and ethnic minorities during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms through which racial and ethnic discrimination can impact lifestyles and to develop potential strategies to address racial and ethnic discrimination as a barrier to healthy lifestyles.

Summary

Key Message
In this study with a nationally representative sample of Americans, we found that racial discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with undesired changes in exercise and screen time, particularly among minorities.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Asian American Women’s Experiences of Discrimination and Health Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Katarina Wang, Alice Guan, Janice Seto, Debora L. Oh, Kathie Lau, Christine Duffy, Esperanza Castillo, Valerie McGuire, Michelle Wadhwa, Clifford G. Tepper, Heather A. Wakelee, Mindy C. DeRouen, Salma Shariff-Marco, Iona Cheng, Scarlett Lin Gomez
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.2023;[Epub] CrossRef

First
Prev
Page of 1
Next
Last

Search