Abstract
BackgroundLatent class analysis (LCA) is an alternative and innovative approach to verify the relation of the various combinations of the constructed environment and movement behavior (levels of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep) characteristics. This study aimed to identify latent classes based on the characteristics of the neighborhood environment perceived by adolescents and their association with gender, socioeconomic status (SS), body composition and movement behaviors.MethodsThis cross-sectional study includes 309 Brazilian adolescents (14 to 16 years old, 57% female). The characteristics of the neighborhood environment perceived were analyzed by the Neighborhood Walkability for Youth Scale. Accelerometers were used for a week to evaluate the movement behaviors. Questionnaires assessed the screen times, total sitting time (TST), and sociodemographic characteristics. LCA was used for modeling the “Perceived Enviroment” variable, having been conducted in the poLCA (Polychromous Variable Latent Class Analysis) package of the R statistical software.ResultsThree classes were recognized: class 1, “Best Perceived Environment” with 23.03% of adolescents; class 2, “Moderate Perceived Environment”, 63.33%; and class 3, “Worst Perceived Environment”, 13.67%. Light physical activity (LPA), TST, and SS were associated with class prevalence. The adolescents with medium and low SS were, respectively, 3.42 (95% CI 1.62–7.21) and 4.18 (95% CI 1.66–10.50) more likely to belong to class 2, and those with low SS were 5.21 (95% CI 1.35–20.13) more likely to belong to class 3. Class 1 adolescents were associated with a lower chance (OR: 0.09, 95% CI 0.02–0.55) of involvement in ‘adequate LPA time’ compared to class 3. Class 1 adolescents were associated with a lower chance (OR: 0.31, 95% CI 0.12–0.79) of involvement in ‘adequate TST’ compared to class 2. There was a difference between the LPA and TST classes; class 3 presented a longer time in LPA than class 1; class 1 had higher TST than the other classes.ConclusionThe findings highlight the influence of neighborhood classes on adolescents’ LPA and TST.
Highlights
Current public health recommendations establish that adolescents should accumulate at least 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day [1, 2]
The sample consisted of 309 adolescents, with an average age of 15.37 ± 0.57 years, of which 57% were female, 70.9% belonged to the medium SS, 78% were classified as eutrophic and 18% as overweight/obese, 52.4% met the MVPA recommendations and approximately 75% of the sample presented adequate sedentary behavior (SB)
We opted for a model with three latent classes because it presented the best adjustment and interpretability values compared to the other models
Summary
Current public health recommendations establish that adolescents should accumulate at least 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day [1, 2]. It is important to highlight that the results of these surveys that assess the relation between movement behaviors, ST and adolescent health outcomes have been based on independent approaches, and does not consider the probability that the individual is simultaneously involved in different behaviors [10], for example, watching television while running on the treadmill. It does not consider the integration of different behaviors in the final outcome [10], nor does it consider the intrinsic codependence existing between movement behaviors in the finite time of the day [11]. This study aimed to identify latent classes based on the characteristics of the neighborhood environment perceived by adolescents and their association with gender, socioeconomic status (SS), body composition and movement behaviors
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