Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Differences in Physical Activity

This study examines racial, ethnic and gender (REG) differentials in physical activity (PA), a significant input into human capital investments. We construct detailed and all-inclusive PA measures from the American Time Use Surveys, which capture both the duration and the intensity of each activity. Estimates suggest significant REG differentials in work-related and various modes of nonwork PA, with 30-65 percent of these differentials attributed to differences in education, socioeconomic status, time constraints, and locational attributes. These conditional PA differentials are consistent with and may play a role in observed REG disparities in health outcomes.