Objective: Latinos disproportionately experience overweight/obesity (OWOB) and insufficient physical activity (PA), which are risk factors for numerous health conditions. Whereas numerous studies investigate acculturation as a determinant of OWOB and PA, few have examined acculturation multidimensionally, and none has examined its interaction with gender. Methods: Participants were 140 Latino adults. Primary outcomes were status as OWOB and endorsement of insufficient PA. Acculturation was measured with the Multidimensional Acculturation Scale II. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between each acculturation scale and outcome, controlling for education, nativity, and smoking status. Results: Greater Spanish proficiency was significantly associated with lower odds of insufficient PA. Greater American Cultural Identity was significantly associated with higher odds of OWOB. Women had significantly higher odds of endorsing insufficient PA compared to men. Gender did not moderate the relationship between acculturation and either OWOB or PA. Conclusions: Acculturation is similarly associated with OWOB and insufficient PA for Latino men and women. Cultural identity may need to be considered to target OWOB interventions. Acculturation may be less important, and gender more important, to consider for appropriate targeting of PA interventions.

Objective: Negative affect is widely emphasized in behavior modification interventions. However, positive affect is associated with smoking cessation, physical activity, and healthy dietary habits and may be an important treatment target. Few studies have examined the relationship between positive affect and health behaviors among Latinos, who disproportionately experience modifiable health risk behaviors. This study examined the independent associations of positive affect and negative affect on modifiable health risk behaviors among Latino adults. Method: Data came from 432 persons who participated in one of two studies examining determinants of modifiable health risk behaviors among Latino adults. Primary outcomes were current smoking, at-risk drinking, insufficient physical activity, and insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption. Predictors were positive and negative affect as measured by the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Associations between positive and negative affect and health risk behaviors were examined using multiple logistic regression. Results: Positive affect was associated with lower odds of insufficient physical activity and insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption and lower odds of engaging in multiple health risk behaviors. Negative affect was associated with higher odds of at-risk drinking and current smoking. Conclusions: Emphasis on increasing positive affect may be warranted for multiple health risk behavior interventions targeting Latinos. Intervention development efforts may also consider prioritizing positive affect for physical activity and dietary interventions, and negative affect for at-drinking and smoking cessation interventions.

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