Correlates of physical activity in black, Hispanic, and white middle school girls

• Published in: Journal of physical activity & health 2010-03, Vol.7 (2), p.184-193
• Main Authors: Kelly, Evelyn B, Parra-Medina, Deborah, Pfeiffer, Karin A, Dowda, Marsha, Conway, Terry L, Webber, Larry S, Jobe, Jared B, Going, Scott, Pate, Russell R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acceleration; Actigraphy; Adolescent; African Americans - statistics & numerical data; Body Mass Index; Child; European Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Exercise; Female; Girls; Health Behavior; Hispanic Americans - statistics & numerical data; Hispanic people; Humans; Models, Psychological; Motor Activity; Schools - statistics & numerical data; Self-Assessment; Social Support; Statistics as Topic; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States
• ISSN: 1543-3080; 1543-5474
• DOI: 10.1123/jpah.7.2.184

A need exists to better understand multilevel influences on physical activity among diverse samples of girls. This study examined correlates of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among adolescent girls from different racial/ethnic backgrounds. 1,180 6th grade girls (24.5% black, 15.7% Hispanic, and 59.8% white) completed a supervised self-administered questionnaire that measured hypothesized correlates of PA. MVPA data were collected for 6 days using the ActiGraph accelerometer. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine correlates of PA in each racial/ethnic group. Hispanic girls (n = 185) engaged in 21.7 minutes of MVPA per day, black girls (n = 289) engaged in 19.5 minutes of MVPA per day, and white girls (n = 706) engaged in 22.8 minutes of MVPA per day. Perceived transportation barriers (+; P = .010) were significantly and positively related to MVPA for Hispanic girls. For black girls, Body Mass Index (BMI) (-; P = .005) and social support from friends (+; P = .006) were significant correlates of MVPA. For white girls, BMI (-; P < .001), barriers (-; P = .012), social support from friends (+; P = .010), participation in school sports (+; P = .009), and community sports (+; P = .025) were significant correlates of MVPA. Explained variance ranged from 30% to 35%. Correlates of MVPA varied by racial/ethnic groups. Effective interventions in ethnically diverse populations may require culturally tailored strategies.