Evaluating a Model of Youth Physical Activity

Objective—To explore the relationship between social influences, self-efficacy, enjoyment, and barriers and physical activity. Methods—Structural equation modeling examined relationships between parent and peer support, parent physical activity, individual perceptions, and objectively measured physical activity using accelerometers among a sample of youth aged 10–17 years (N=720). Results—Peer support, parent physical activity, and perceived barriers were directly related to youth activity. The proposed model accounted for 14.7 % of the variance in physical activity. Conclusions—The results demonstrate a need to further explore additional individual, social, and environmental factors that may influence youth’s regular participation in physical activity. Keywords physical activity; children; peers; self efficacy; social support Although childhood is the most physically active time of life for most individuals, few children and adolescents are meeting recommended levels of activity, and these active lifestyles appear to steadily decline as children age.1,2 This, in part, is contributing to th