Associations of perceived neighborhood environment and physical activity with metabolic syndrome among Mexican–Americans adults: a cross sectional examination

Abstract Objective This secondary data analysis examined associations among perceived neighborhood environmental factors, physical activity (PA), and the presence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in Mexican–American (MA) adults. Seventy-five MA adults (mean age of 37.9 ± 9.3 years) provided anthropometric, biomarker, and survey data. The Neighborhood Scales Questionnaire evaluated six perceived neighborhood factors: walking environment, aesthetic quality, safety, violence, social cohesion, and activities with neighbors. The Rapid Assessment of PA questionnaire assessed PA. MS was determined according to ATP III criteria. Results PA was significantly associated with MS (OR = .338, CI .204–.738). Neighborhood factors of safety (B = .255, p = .024), walking environment (B = .384, p = .001), and social cohesion (B = .230, p = .043) were positively associated with PA. No other neighborhood factors were significantly related to PA. Analyses examining whether neighborhood factors moderated the relationship between PA and MS were not significant.