Parental correlates of physical activity in a racially/ethnically diverse adolescent sample.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate relationships between parents' and adolescents' physical activity and television usage and whether these relationships differed among adolescents from different racial/ethnic backgrounds.


METHODS
Adolescents and their parents were separately asked to report information about their eating, exercising, and weight-related behaviors. Among the 900 adolescents, 477 were girls and 423 were boys; 60% were in high school; 29% were white, 23% were black, 21% were Asian, 14% were Hispanic, and 13% were considered mixed or other race/ethnicity.


RESULTS
Parents' reported encouragement was positively related to physical activity in white (r = 0.39; p <.001) and black boys (r = 0.26; p =.007), and girls (all race/ethnic groups combined: r = 0.15; p <.001). Parents' television time was positively related to television time in Hispanic boys (r = 0.40; p =.009) but negatively related to television time in black boys (r = -0.23; p =.036). Parents' concern about their own fitness was negatively related to television time in white girls (r = -0.19; p =.029) but positively related in black girls (r = 0.23; p =.030).


CONCLUSIONS
This study found significant, although modest, relationships between parents' and adolescents' physical activity attitudes and behaviors. Many of these relationships differed by race/ethnicity. Results from the present and previous studies suggest that factors other than parents' behavior and support explain adolescents' physical activity behaviors.
McGuire
Maureen T
MT
Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454, USA. mcguire@epi.umn.edu
Hannan
Peter J
PJ
Neumark-Sztainer
Dianne
D
Cossrow
Nicole H Falkner
NH
Story
Mary
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D005006:Ethnicity; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents; D013690:Television