Moderators of physical activity and obesity during adolescence.
The purpose of this study was to examine possible moderators of the relation between physical activity and obesity in adolescence. Adolescents (N=168; mean age=15.20 years; 52.4% girls; 76.8% African American) were recruited from low-income primary care medical facilities in a large southern city. Measures included Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile, physical activity, shared family physical activity, and self-efficacy for healthful eating. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to investigate a) independent contributions of physical activity, shared family activity, and self-efficacy for healthful eating to the prediction of adolescent BMI percentile; b) interactions between shared and individual physical activity in the prediction of BMI percentile; c) interactions between self-efficacy for healthful eating and physical activity in the prediction of BMI percentile; and d) interactions among all three variables. Findings revealed self-efficacy for healthful eating was a significant moderator of the adolescent physical activity and BMI percentile relation. Conclusions emphasize the interactive nature among obesity risk factors.
Department of Psychology, The University of Memphis, TN 38152, United States. gamble.heather@gmail.com
Heather L
HL
Gamble
Gilbert R
GR
Parra
Bettina M
BM
Beech
D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004032:Diet; D015444:Exercise; D005192:Family Health; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology*; D018579:Patient Selection; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012649:Self Concept; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires