Gender Differences in Physical Activity and Pain Sensitivity in Hispanics from the US-Mexico Border

Background & Aims

Physical activity (PA) is an essential component in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model. PA is a direct outcome measure of the person’s health condition. PA research in Hispanic populations has shown conflicting results. While some research has found that Hispanics engage in less PA compared to non-Hispanic whites, others have reported that Hispanics exhibit higher amount of moderate to vigorous PA than other groups. Research also found that Mexican Americans engage in higher volume of light PA when compared to individuals of other Hispanic backgrounds. Regardless of the reasons for the lack of consistent results, the role of levels of PA on pain perception in a predominately Hispanic community is unknown.? Over the years, research has made evident the positive effects of moderate and vigorous activities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in PA and the association between PA with pain sensitivity.

Methods

This study included 32 healthy Hispanic participants (M=19, mean age of 24.88;SD=4.7 y/o) from El Paso, Texas. Demographic information, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), and Fear Avoidance Belief Questionnaire (FBPQ) were collected at the beginning of the session. Quantitative sensory testing was performed by assessing heat pain threshold and tolerance on both forearms. Pressure pain threshold (PPT) was assessed bilaterally over the thenar eminence. To identify levels of PA, participants wore an accelerometer (ActiGraph wGT3X) over the right hip for seven days during waking hours. PA measures derived from the data were type and duration spent in each activity category (light, moderate, vigorous) and measures of PA intensity such as mean activity counts per minute (MACPM) and peak activity count (PAC). Independent sample t-test was used to examine gender differences between PA patterns. Partial correlation accounting for gender examined the association between PA and pain senstivity

Results

Results from this study demonstrated significant gender differences in moderate PA (F=20 ;SD=11.12 min; M=12.49; SD=7.65 min) p < 0.05 and PAC (F=7879; SD 2893; M=5844; SD 1774) p < 0.05. No additional significant differences were observed in the other PA variables (light, vigorous, or MACPM). Significant correlations were found between moderate PA and FABQ (r=0.440; p=0.028), total PA and PCS (r=0.511; p=0.009), and MACPM and PCS (r=0.459; p=0.21).

Conclusions

Our results suggest that Hispanic women tend to perform more PA than Hispanic men demonstrated by the higher amount of time spent in moderate PA. Moreover, PA in women was more intense demonstrated by higher PAC. While there were no associations between PA and measures of experimental pain sensitivity, these results highlight the influence of both moderate PA and the total amount of PA accumulated throughout the day on pain psychosocial factors.

References

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