This study tested whether socio-demographic factors moderated associations between psychological factors and Latinas' breast cancer screening behaviors. 222 churchgoing Latinas (40-65 years) in San Diego, CA completed surveys assessing socio-demographics (e.g., income and acculturation), psychological factors (e.g., perceived barriers to screening), and cancer screening behaviors. Multilevel models examined associations of socio-demographic and psychological factors (and their interactions) with adherence to annual mammography or clinical breast exam (CBE) screening. Although no main effects were found, there were moderation effects. Acculturation moderated associations between perceived barriers to screening and both screening outcomes, with inverse associations only among the high-acculturation group. Education moderated the relationship between perceived barriers to screening and CBE screening, with an inverse association only among the low-education group. Marital status moderated the relationship between depressive symptoms and CBE screening, with an inverse association only among single/non-partnered participants. Interventions are needed targeting psychological barriers to breast cancer screening among Latinas.

Female adolescents are less active than male peers in certain contexts including the neighborhood. Adolescents' physical activity can be explained by interactions between environmental and psychosocial factors, but few studies have tested such interactions in relation to context-specific behaviors. This study tested interactions between neighborhood environmental and psychosocial factors in relation to adolescents' context-specific physical activity. Data were collected in 2009-11 from 910 adolescents and a parent/guardian residing in the Baltimore/Seattle regions. Measures included adolescent-reported neighborhood leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and non-neighborhood LTPA, accelerometer-based non-school moderate-to vigorous-physical activity (MVPA), psychosocial factors, and objective and parent-perceived neighborhood environmental factors. Gender-stratified mixed effects linear models tested associations of 6 environmental and 4 psychosocial factors and their interactions in relation to each physical activity outcome. The psychosocial factors had consistent associations with the physical activity outcomes but the environmental correlates were context-specific. Decisional balance (weighing of pros and cons of physical activity) moderated the association between recreation facility density and neighborhood LTPA among females, with a negative association only among those with high decisional balance (pros outweighed cons). Decisional balance also moderated associations of neighborhood walkability with non-school MVPA among females and non-neighborhood LTPA among males, with positive associations only among those with high decisional balance. Results support context-specific ecological models of physical activity. Targeting environmental factors that may promote opportunities for physical activity in specific contexts as well as adolescent decision-making may help promote their physical activity in those contexts, potentially leading to increased overall physical activity.

Favorable perceptions of the built and social neighborhood environment may promote outdoor physical activity (PA). However, little is known about their independent and interactive effects on neighborhood-specific outdoor PA. We examined associations of perceived built and social neighborhood environment factors, and their interactions, with objectively-measured neighborhood outdoor moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among a sample of Latina women in San Diego, CA. Analyses included baseline data collected in 2011-2013 from 86 Latinas with ≥ 2 days of combined accelerometer and global positioning system data and complete survey measures. We examined objective neighborhood outdoor MVPA within 500-meter home buffers. Generalized linear mixed models examined associations of 3 perceived built (e.g., sidewalk maintenance) and 3 social environmental (e.g., safety from crime) factors with engaging in any daily neighborhood outdoor MVPA. Models tested interactions between the built and social environmental factors. Although the perceived neighborhood environmental factors were not significantly related to daily neighborhood outdoor MVPA, we found 2 significant interactions: perceived sidewalk maintenance x safety from crime (p = 0.05) and neighborhood aesthetics x neighborhood social cohesion (p = 0.03). Sidewalk maintenance was positively related to daily neighborhood outdoor MVPA only among Latinas that reported low levels of safety from crime. Neighborhood aesthetics was positively related to daily neighborhood outdoor MVPA only among Latinas with high neighborhood social cohesion. Findings suggest several built and social environmental factors interact to influence Latinas' neighborhood outdoor MVPA. Interventions are needed targeting both built and social neighborhood environmental factors favorable to outdoor PA in the neighborhood.