Abstract Body: Introduction: Latino men are more likely to report never participating in aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity compared to non-Latino white men. Previous research suggests that spouses/partners can play an important role in promoting healthy behaviors in Latino men. However, limited research has examined the association of marital status with aerobic (e.g., walking, running) and muscle-strengthening physical activity in Latino men.

Hypothesis: We hypothesized those that were married/living with a partner would be more likely to meet aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical guidelines.

Methods: We used cross-sectional 2016-2018 National Health Interview Survey data on Latino men ≥18 years of age (n=5,592). Participants were asked to self-report their marital status and responses were categorized into married/living with a partner and never married/widowed/divorced/separated. Aerobic physical activity was measured based on minutes of moderate-to-vigorous leisure-time physical activity per week and categorized into 1) meeting the guideline (≥150 min of moderate-vigorous activity or ≥75 min of vigorous activity or 150 min of moderate activity/week), and 2) not meeting guideline (>0 min/week of activity but less than the recommendation). Muscle-strengthening physical activity was categorized as 1) meeting guideline (muscle-strengthening activity ≥ 2 times per week), and 2) not meeting guideline (muscle-strengthening physical activity less than twice a week, never, or were unable). Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate associations of marital status with meeting aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity guidelines. Models were adjusted for age, education, employment status, and nativity.

Results: In adjusted models, compared with being never married/widowed/divorced/separated, those that were married/living with a partner were significantly more likely to meet the aerobic physical activity guideline (Odds Ratio [OR]: 1.17, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.02-1.34). Marital status was not associated with meeting the muscle-strengthening guideline (OR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.83-1.18).

Conclusions: Among Latino men, being married/living with a partner is associated with meeting the aerobic activity guideline, but not the muscle-strengthening recommendation. Given the importance placed on family in Latino culture, the role of spouses/partners should be considered in physical activity promotion among Latino men.