title: Prevalence and social-environmental correlates of sports team participation among alternative high school students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alternative high school (AHS) students have low levels of physical activity (PA) and high rates of overweight/obesity. Sports team participation, a specific form of PA, is associated with increased PA and decreased overweight/obesity in general adolescent populations. However, little is known about the prevalence and correlates of sports team participation among AHS students.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2006, students (n = 145; mean age = 17 years; 52% male; 61% minorities; 64% low-income) attending 6 AHS in Minneapolis/St. Paul completed self-administered surveys. Mixed model logistic regression was used to examine cross-sectional associations between sports team participation and school staff support for PA, friend support for PA, and perceived barriers to PA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among students, 40% participated on ≥ 1 sports teams. Odds of participating on a sports team were positively associated with support for PA from school staff (OR = 1.12, P = .014) and friends (OR = 1.15, P = .005), but inversely associated with perceived barriers to PA (OR = 0.95, P = .014).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest that efforts to increase sports team participation among AHS students should target social-environmental factors. Further study is warranted.
authors: School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors: Karen E
authors: KE
authors: Johnson
authors: Martha Y
authors: MY
authors: Kubik
authors: Barbara J
authors: BJ
authors: McMorris
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013177:Sports / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*