A Transactional Model of Social Support, Self-Efficacy, and Physical Activity of Children in the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health

Abstract

Only a small percentage of the U.S. population engages in regular physical activity. Well-known barriers to physical activity exist, and behavioral models and technologies are needed to overcome them. In the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health, social cognitive theory (SCT) was used to understand children's physical activity levels. Using the SCT model of reciprocal determinism, it was proposed that positive social support and/or self-efficacy for physical activity in third grade would predict moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in fifth grade, and that MVPA in fifth grade, in turn, would predict levels of positive social support and self-efficacy for physical activity in seventh grade. Linear regression analyses supported this model when used with a population of 2,698 students of three races/ethnicities (Caucasian, African-American, and Hispanic) in four diverse geographic sites in the United States. These results contribute support for attitudes influencing behavior, as well as behavior influencing attitudes, providing a wider range of options for interventions aimed at increasing the physical activity levels of children.