BACKGROUND: No leisure time physical activity (NO-LTPA) continues to be a leading unhealthy behavioral driver of poor health outcomes in the United States. The current investigation explores the relationship between, short term, longitudinal changes in social vulnerability and NO-LTPA within the context of culturally distinct U.S. regions.
METHODS: We merged county-level data on physical inactivity physical inactivity prevalence, the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), and the American Nations regional cultures schematic.
RESULTS: The prevalence of NO-LTPA was significantly higher: 1) In American Nations Group 1 in both 2020 and 2022; and 2) During 2022 in both American Nation Groups. The overall SVI score was significantly higher in American Nations Group 1 in both 2020 and 2022 but there were no significant differences in either group from 2020 to 2022. There were 1161 U.S. counties (i.e., 37%) that had a decrease in NO-LTPA from 2020 to 2022 (mean reduction = -1.7 +/-1.5) compared to 1970 U.S. counties that has no change or an increase in NO-LTPA from 2020 to 2022 (mean increase = 2.0 +/-1.6). The difference in 2020 to 2022 change in SVI was statistically significant (-0.8 +/-0.50 vs. 0.04 +/-0.51, p<0.001) between counties with a decrease in NO-LTPA compared to those with no change or an increase.
DISCUSSION: These current findings indicate the SVI - NO-LTPA crisis within a crisis continues to be a factor in the U.S. The fact that there was a statistical signal between SVI and NO-LTPA change indicates improving the former may likewise improve the latter.