The association of self-efficacy and parent social support on physical activity in male and female adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
Previous research has shown that cognitive factors may account for the relationship between interpersonal factors and health behaviors. Given these findings, the current study sought to further explore the direct and indirect relationship between parental social support and adolescent physical activity (PA).


METHODS
Data were collected from 1,421 sixth graders (73% Black, 54% females, 71% on free or reduced lunch) in South Carolina. Measures for emotional social support, instrumental social support, and adolescent self-efficacy (SE) were assessed and PA was assessed via accelerometry.


RESULTS
Parent instrumental social support was directly related to girls' PA and parent emotional social support was inversely related to girls' PA. Parent instrumental social support was indirectly related to boys' PA through boys' SE. The covaried association of SE with PA was significant for boys and marginal for girls.


CONCLUSIONS
SE for overcoming barriers may be an important construct for understanding the relationship between parent instrumental social support and boys' PA in underserved populations. The mechanisms for engaging in PA may be different for adolescent girls and boys.
Department of Clinical-Community Psychology, University of South Carolina, USA. michelle.peterson@sc.edu
Michelle S
MS
Peterson
Hannah G
HG
Lawman
Dawn K
DK
Wilson
Amanda
A
Fairchild
M Lee
ML
Van Horn
D061725:Accelerometry; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D013022:South Carolina