Relation of Adolescents' Physical Activity to After-School Recreation Environment.
The after-school period provides an opportune context for adolescent physical activity. This study examined how characteristics of after-school recreation environments related to adolescent physical activity.



Participants were 889 adolescents aged 12 to 17 (mean = 14.1, SD = 1.4) from 2 US regions. Adolescents reported on whether their school offered after-school supervised physical activity, access to play areas/fields, and presence of sports facilities. Outcomes were accelerometer-measured after-school physical activity, reported physical activity on school grounds during nonschool hours, attainment of 60 minutes of daily physical activity excluding school physical education, and BMI-for-age z-score. Mixed regression models adjusted for study design, region, sex, age, ethnicity, vehicles/licensed drivers in household, and distance to school.



School environment variables were all significantly associated with self-reported physical activity on school grounds during non-school hours (P < .001) and attainment of 60 minutes of daily physical activity (P < .05). Adolescents' accelerometer-measured after-school physical activity was most strongly associated with access to supervised physical activity (P = .008).



Policies and programs that provide supervised after-school physical activity and access to play areas, fields, and sports facilities may help adolescents achieve daily physical activity recommendations.
Christina M
CM
Thornton
Kelli L
KL
Cain
Terry L
TL
Conway
Jacqueline
J
Kerr
Brian E
BE
Saelens
Lawrence D
LD
Frank
Karen
K
Glanz
James F
JF
Sallis
D061725:Accelerometry; D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D057766:Policy; D011998:Recreation / Q000502:physiology*; D012574:Schools; D000072264:Sports and Recreational Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
exercise; policy; sport; youth