African American women show declines in exercise since 1984, according to a new study.

Researchers investigated patterns from 1984 to 2006 in six weight-related health behaviors in young adults between the ages of 19 and 26. These patterns included: frequency of breakfast eating, eating green vegetables, eating fruit, exercising, watching television and sleeping seven hours each night. Researchers set out to examine discrepancies across gender, race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. They found that the frequency of exercising was consistently lower among young adult women than young adult men over this 23-year period. Compared with white women, Hispanic women and women from other race/ethnic groups, black women showed declines in the frequency of exercise since 1984.

Researchers conclude, "Our findings suggest that interventions (at both the individual and environmental levels) targeted toward increasing exercise may hold promise, particularly for African-American women, who have experienced the most notable decline in exercise over this period. Policies and interventions should also be comprehensive, addressing both exercise as well as dietary intake behaviors from a multisectoral perspective."

From: "Differential Trends in Weight-Related Health Behaviors among American Young Adults by Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status, 1984-2006."

Source
American Journal of Public Health