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Background: Metabolic syndrome has the highest prevalence among Mexican-American women. Little information is available for Caribbean Hispanics, the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority in the United States. We sought to evaluate the frequency of metabolic syndrome and its relationship with race/ethnicity, socioeconomic position, and education in women of largely Caribbean Hispanic origin., Methods: There were 204 women enrolled in a cross-sectional study who had demographics, fasting glucose, lipid profile, waist circumference, and blood pressure determined. Metabolic syndrome (defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program/Adult Treatment Panel III [NCEP/ATP III]) was analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression to test age, race/ethnicity, education, health insurance, and residence on the risk of metabolic syndrome. A P value <0.05 was considered significant., Results: Mean age was 58 +/- 11 years, Hispanic 44.1% (93% Caribbean), non-Hispanic white (NHW) 38.7%, and non-Hispanic black 9.8%. Education was some high school (

Background: Inadequate participation in physical activity is a serious public health issue in the United States, with significant disparities among population groups. In particular, there is a scarcity of information about physical activity among Caribbean Hispanics, a group on the rise., Methods: Our goal was to accumulate data on physical activity among Caribbean Hispanic women living in New York and determine the relation between physical activity and age, marital status, education, income, primary language, and children in the household. To this end, a survey adapted from the National Health Interview Survey of the National Center for Health Statistics assessing type, frequency, and duration of physical activity was administered., Results: There were 318 self-identified Hispanic women who participated. Total activity time, mean 385 +/- 26 minutes, and education (r = 0.14, p < 0.01) were significantly related. Women who had attended some college had greater total activity time than those with some high school education (p = 0.046) or < 8th grade education (p = 0.022). Walking as a form of transportation was the most frequent pursuit, 285 +/- 21 minutes. Age (r = -0.34, p < 0.001) and education (r = 0.25, p < 0.001) correlated with nonwalking activity time (leisure time). Nonwalking activity times were greater in younger, that is, 18-29 years (p < 0.001) and college-educated women (p < 0.001). Physical activity recommendations were met by 11%; and 17% reported no physical activity., Conclusions: Among Caribbean Hispanic women living in New York City, the current recommendations for physical activity are met by 11%, and physical activity and education are significantly related. Our observation that education is a critical factor related to physical activity suggests that programs to address the promotion of a physically active lifestyle are needed.