Demographic, Environmental and Psychosocial influences on the Physical Activity of Adolescents from Diverse Ethnic Groups: Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study explored the direct and mediation effects of five important psychosocial constructs related to physical activity (PA) in youth.MethodsParticipants were 411 adolescents aged 12–17 years. Demographics, neighborhood environment, home media exposure and media use, psychosocial variables (self‐efficacy, perceived behavioral control, social support, and enjoyment) and PA were assessed using validated measures. Mediation and moderation effects were examined using structural equation modeling.ResultsSocial support was the strongest predictor of PA mediating the effect of the neighborhood environment on PA among males, overweight/non‐overweight and low‐income/minority adolescents. Enjoyment was inversely associated with media use in females and low‐income/minority adolescents but not in males or Caucasians.ConclusionsSocial support appears to be the most important contributor to PA in males. Adolescents at higher risk for inactivity (i.e., females, low‐income/minority adolescents) may respond differently to PA promotion depending on their levels of PA enjoyment. Low levels of PA enjoyment may increase home media use and lead to a decrease in regular PA. Lack of mediation effects from efficacy cognitions suggests the need for further exploration of individual factors predicting engagement in PA among adolescents. This study was funded by the USDA/ARS.Grant Funding Source : USDA/NRI/AFRI