Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 2012, 9, 1098-1104 © 2012 Human Kinetics, Inc. Perceived Environmental Physical Activity Correlates Among Asian Pacific Islander Americans Timothy J. Bungum, Merrill Landers, Maria Azzarelli, and Sheniz Moonie Background: Little is known about correlates of pbysical activity of Asian and Asian-Pacific Islander Americans (AAPI). Knowledge of these correlates could be useful in promoting physical activity. Purpose: to identify demographic and environmental correlates of physical activity among AAPI. Methods: Participants resided in the Las Vegas, Nevada area, and completed a 52-item telephone administered questionnaire that assessed physical activity behavior, environmental supports for physical activity and demographic factors. Environmental factors included the presence of neighborhood sidewalks, park availability, and nearby grocery stores were combined to create the variable "environmental pbysical activity supports" (EPAS). Neighborhood crime, pleasantness of tbe neigbborhood for walking, and the presence of loose dogs combined to form "neigbbor- hood safety." Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of physical activity. Potential predictors included age, gender, BMI, employment, educational attainment, neighborhood safety, and EPAS. Results: 263 respondents completed the survey. With the exception of living near a grocery store, respondents reported residing in neighborhoods that are generally supportive of physical activity. However, EPAS was the sole significant predictor of physical activity behavior (OR = 1.52, CI = 1.06-2.17). Age and educational attain- ment unexpectedly failed to predict physical activity. Conclusions: Supportive physical activity environments associate with physical activity behavior among AAPI. Keywords: Asian Americans, environmental correlates Physical activity is an important public bealtb bebav- ior because of the numerous disease preventing benefits associated with it.'-^ Prevalent diseases that are known to be prevented by pbysical activity include coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes.^ Engaging in pbysical activity also aids in the reduction and preven- tion of the accumulation of excess body fat.^ This is an especially important area for public health autborities to address because substantial increases in obesity rates bave recently been observed among Americans."* An expressed goal of public health is to eliminate health disparities across ethnicities.' Contrary to the desires of public health experts, data indicate that ethnic disparities in physical activity exist. Minority group members bave consistently been shown to be less active than white Americans^'^ However, little is known about the physical activity habits of some minority groups, including AAPI.'-^ Therefore, physical activity charac- teristics of this group merit study. Bungum is with the Dept of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Landers is with the Dept of Physical Therapy, University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Azzarelli is with Dept of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promo- tion, Southern Nevada Health District, Las Vegas, NV. Moonie is with the Dept of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Nevada-Las Vegas. It is also important to study AAPI because they are a minority group unlikely to engage in exercise, and are more opposed to engaging in physical activity than are whites or African Americans.^ Further, AAPI are an important ethnic group from a public health perspective because of tbeir large numbers. There are currently over 13 million, and tbeir proportion of tbe American popula- tion is increasing. Estimates indicate that by 2050,8% of the US population will be of AAPI descent.'° Thus, it is not surprising that the need to study the health bebaviors, and especially physical activity, among this subpopula- tion bas been expressed in the literature.*' A first step to understanding the physical activity behavior of members of ethnic subpopulations is to iden- tify tbe bebavioral correlates of the bebavior (physical activity)." Physical activity correlates have typically been divided into 4 categories: demographic, psychological, social/cultural, and environmental.'^'^ It has long been known tbat pbysical activity correlates witb select psy- chosocial and demographic variables.'^ However, most studies tbat bave assessed tbese variables have explained less than 20% of the variance in physical activity.'"* The limited explanatory power of statistical models that predict pbysical activity bebavior is recognized, and it is believed that the inclusion of environmental factors may enhance researchers abilities to explain physical activity.'^ Because little work has been done tbat assesses the association of environmental factors with physical 1098