Urban Latino school children's physical activity correlates and daily physical activity participation: A social cognitive approach

Abstract

Guided by Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1986), this study investigated the relationships between urban Latino children's physical activity (PA) correlates and their daily PA levels. The participants were 120 Latino children recruited from an urban elementary school. They completed questionnaires assessing their PA correlates (self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, social support, and physical and social environmental factor) and their one-week PA levels were measured by accelerometers. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships between children's PA correlates and daily PA levels. Correlation analyses indicated that children's self-efficacy, social support, and physical and social environmental factor were positively related to their PA levels. Regression analyses further yielded that children's self-efficacy and social support emerged as significant contributors of their daily PA levels. However, outcome expectancy and physical and social environmental factor failed to predict PA levels. The findings were discussed in regard to the implications for practice and areas for future research.