Background: This study examined the influence of migration status, nativity and country of residence on joint associations of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in anthropometric indicators of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans living in the US and in Mexico. Methods: We examined data from two large national surveys, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from the US (NHANES, 2011–2012) and Mexico (ENSANUT, 2012). Using self-reported minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity and SB, we calculated four categories for analyses. Anthropometric measures consisted of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). We used data of migration status, nativity and country of residence. Linear regression models examined how joint categories of PA and SB were associated with BMI and WC according to migration status, nativity and country of residence, controlling for health risk behaviors. Results: Analyses showed that even among those in the category with the lowest risk behavior, “physically active and low sedentary”, there were differences in BMI and WC by migration status, nativity and country of residence. Within this lower risk category, Mexican immigrants living in the US had the greatest association with high BMI, while US-born Mexican-Americans living in the US had the highest WC values when compared with the group of Mexicans living in Mexico. Conclusions: Joint categories of PA and SB were associated with BMI and WC by migration status, nativity and country of residence among populations with Mexican ethnicity. © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Migration Obesity Sedentary Nativity Acculturation physical activity

physical activity anthropology Human Migration anthropometric parameters demography exercise Waist Circumference Sedentary Behavior human Self Report birthplace statistics and numerical data controlled study obesity Aged ethnology Mexico Hispanic Americans Residence Characteristics United States cross-sectional study migrant psychology Hispanic Humans male Emigrants and Immigrants Acculturation residential area female Mexican population research cultural factor Mexican American Article high risk behavior major clinical study adult low risk population migration Mexico [North America] Sedentary Lifestyle Linear Models ethnicity anthropometry statistical model body mass public health physical performance Mexican Americans health survey