ASSOCIATION OF SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS IN ADOLESCENTS: ANALYSIS OF 1992 YRBS DATA 193

Abstract

Two physical activity recommendations for adolescents have recently been formulated by an international panel of experts: 1) adolescents should ideally have some type of physical activity on a daily basis and 2) they should perform at least 20 minutes of more moderate to vigorous activity a minimum of 3 days per week. We hypothesize that social and physical environments may have a significant influence on physical activity levels for many youth. Thus, we analyzed data for a sub-sample of 12-17 year old adolescents (n=6.496) from the 1992 National Health Information Survey (NHIS)-Youth Risk Behavior Survey(YRBS), in order to look at the association of six socio-demographic variables to the attainment of this second guideline. In the YRBS the item “took part in activites that caused sweating/hard breathing in the past week” is a proxy for engaging in sustained activities of moderate to vigorous intensity. For the purposes of this analysis the dependent variable was dichotomized into “reaching/not reaching” the recommended level(≥3 days). The six independent variables were age (12-14 years versus 15-17 years); race (white versus non-white); level of family income (above or below poverty level); educational level of the parents (≤ high-school education versus >high-school); family structure (living with 2 parents versus“other”; ie. single parent); and the type of living quarters(house/apartment versus “other”). Results of a multiple logistic regression (OR, 95% C.I.) showed a significantly greater likelihood of reaching the recommended guideline for those adolescents younger than 15 1.6(1.4, 1.7), living with 2 parents 1.2 (1.0, 1.3), having parents with a higher than high-school education 1.3 (1.2, 1.4) or being in a family with income above the poverty level 1.2 (1.1, 1.4). Neither racial status nor the type of living quarters resided in was associated with the outcome. More studies are needed to gain a greater understanding of those socio-demographic factors which are critical in influencing adolescent physical activity, such as the significant age-related decrease in activity seen in this analysis.