title: Environmental resources moderate the relationship between social support and school sports participation among adolescents: a cross-sectional analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most Americans are not active at recommended levels. Adolescence is a developmental period when physical activity (PA) decreases markedly.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study investigates whether access to environmental PA resources moderates the relationship between psychosocial resources (social support and perceived competence) and PA among 192 adolescents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Environmental access to PA resources (determined via GIS-based assessment of the number of gyms, schools, trails, parks and athletic fields within 0.5 miles of each participant's home) moderated the association between social support and PA; among adolescents with high levels of environmental resources, greater social support was associated with students participating in a greater number of sports in school, whereas no such relationship emerged among adolescents with low environmental resources.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PA-promotion interventions should aim to enhance both social and environmental resources; targeting either one alone may be insufficient.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Irvine, Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, 4558 Social and Behavioral Sciences, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. djgraham@umn.edu
authors.forename: Dan J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Sally S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Dickerson
mesh_terms: D056044:Actigraphy / Q000379:methods; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D057566:Self Report; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013177:Sports / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires