Is fear of strangers related to physical activity among youth?
OBJECTIVE
To (1) assess the reliability of the newly developed Fears of Stranger Danger (FSD) scale, (2) examine measurement invariance and identify demographic variation in FSD, and (3) examine associations of FSD with physical activity, screen time, and body mass index (BMI) z score.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey with test-retest.


METHODS
Neighborhoods with various socioeconomic characteristics and walkability in San Diego, Boston, and Cincinnati.


METHODS
Parent-adolescent pairs (n = 171), and parents of children (n = 116). Response rate was 47% for Survey 1, and 69% were retained for Survey 2.


METHODS
Data analyses included test-retest reliability and internal consistency for FSD, tests of differential functioning for measurement invariance, t-test for associations between FSD and demographic variables, and partial correlation for associations of FSD with physical activity, screen time, and BMI z score.


RESULTS
The FSD scale had moderate to substantial test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .65-.85) and excellent internal consistency (Cronbach α = .88-.94). Measurement invariance was established across gender, race/ethnicity, and income. FSD was higher regarding younger children, females, nonwhites, and lower-income youth. FSD was positively associated with restrictive parental rules for playing outside (partial r = .28-.33), and negatively associated with children's outdoor physical activity in the neighborhood (partial r = -.27), but not associated with other measures of physical activity, screen time, or BMI z score.


CONCLUSIONS
The new measure of FSD had good evidence of reliability and measurement invariance, but there were inconsistent associations of FSD with youth physical activity.
Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, 3900 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103, USA.
Ding
D
Ding
Nicole L
NL
Bracy
James F
JF
Sallis
Brian E
BE
Saelens
Gregory J
GJ
Norman
Sion Kim
SK
Harris
Nefertiti
N
Durant
Dori
D
Rosenberg
Jacqueline
J
Kerr
D000293:Adolescent; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D009043:Motor Activity; D009820:Ohio; D011594:Psychometrics; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000523:psychology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012449:Safety; D012931:Social Environment