Smartphone Use As a Moderator of Bicultural Dimensions of Acculturation and Sedentary Behaviors Among a Sample of Latinx Young Adults.

Introduction: Among Latinx adults, greater acculturation has resulted in adverse health outcomes and increased unhealthy behaviors (e.g., sedentary behaviors). However, previous studies primarily examined acculturation as unidimensional constructs. While these measures examine acculturation, there is a need to investigate the influence of biculturalism on sedentary behaviors through multidimensional measures. Specific research is also needed to examine the role of smartphone use – an understudied sedentary behavior – in the association between acculturation and other sedentary behaviors such as tv viewing and computer use. Thus, a purpose of the present study was to examine the association between bicultural dimensions of acculturation (i.e., American/native cultural identity and English/native language competence) and weekday/weekend sedentary behaviors among a sample of Latinx young adults (ages 18-25). Another purpose was to examine smartphone use as a potential moderator of the association between acculturation and weekday/weekend sedentary behaviors.

Method: The sample included 202 Latinx young adults (M_age = 21.41±2.16y; 55.9% Female). The majority of participants self-identified as Mexican American (46%); other reported ethnicities included Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Cuban. Participants completed an online survey and reported bicultural dimensions of acculturation (The Abbreviated Multidimensional Acculturation Scale), smartphone use (The Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale), and weekday/weekend sedentary behaviors (Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire). Two hierarchical regressions were conducted to examine the association between acculturation and weekday/weekend sedentary behaviors with smartphone use as a moderator.

Results: English language competence was inversely associated with weekend sedentary behaviors (β = -.25, p < .01), while smartphone use significantly moderated the associations between native language competence and weekday (β = -.17, p < .05) and weekend (β = -.15, p < .05) sedentary behaviors. Simple slope analyses revealed that native language competence was positively associated with weekday sedentary behaviors for Latinx young adults with low levels of smartphone use (β = .31, p < .01).

Conclusions: These findings suggest that being more proficient in English may be associated with less engagement in sedentary behaviors. For Latinx young adults with limited smartphone use, increased native language competence was associated with more weekday sedentary behaviors, while increased native language competence alone was associated with lower engagement in weekday and weekend sedentary behaviors. These findings support the continued need to investigate the unique impact of native and host cultures on health behaviors.

In remembrance of Dr. Tasia M. Smith.