title: Family and individual predictors of physical activity for older Mexican adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Low levels of physical activity (PA) are associated with persistent obesity. Adolescent obesity is linked to adult morbidity and premature mortality. This study examined a model of perceived parental influence in Mexican older adolescents to uncover contemporaneous family and personal predictors of Mexican older adolescents' PA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants 16- to 25-years-old (n = 3,908), Mexican college applicants, underwent a health screen and filled out questionnaires which included information on PA and potential correlates. A logistic regression model was used to ascertain family factors (socioeconomic status, conflict about PA, and perceived parental PA) and individual factors (age, sex, body mass index, depressive symptoms, enjoyment of PA, and sedentary behaviors) associated with adolescents' PA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most participants reported being physically active (61.5%); less than half reported physically active parents (40.0%). Perceived parental PA (odds ratio [OR] = 8.67, p ≤ .0001), enjoyment of PA (OR = 2.11, p ≤ .0001), and conflicts about PA (OR = 1.16, p ≤ .0001) were important positive predictors of adolescents' PA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PA among Mexican older adolescents is influenced by parental PA. The role of conflicts about PA is likely to be influenced by culture and may indicate that older adolescents' PA is not completely accepted by parents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human and Community Development and the Family Resiliency Center, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. awiley@illinois.edu
authors.forename: Angela R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Wiley
authors.forename: Tracy L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Flood
authors.forename: Flavia C D
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Celia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aradillas
authors.forename: Eduardo M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Cerda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D054541:Family Conflict; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D009043:Motor Activity; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D055815:Young Adult