The longitudinal effect of parental support during adolescence on the trajectory of sport participation from adolescence through young adulthood

Background: One efficient way to increase physical activity is through sport participation because participation in sport activities inherently includes many enjoyable aspects, such as social interaction, competition, personal challenge, and goal achievement. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the longitudinal effect of parental support during adolescence on the trajectory of sport participation from adolescence through young adulthood.Methods: The data used in this study came from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health(Add Health). It is a 4-wave longitudinal study that followed up a nationally representative sample of middle and high school students in the US. A series of multilevel logistic regression models were used to examine the effect of parental support at Wave 1 on the trajectory of sport participation from Wave 1 to Wave 4.Results: The effect of parental support during adolescence on participants' sport participation lasted until they become young adults(Wave 3)(p < 0.001). Among the male participants, parental support at Wave 1 was a significant predictor for sport participation at Waves 1, 2, and 3(p < 0.001). However, a significant effect of parental support at Wave 1 on sport participation in early young adulthood(Wave 3) becomes insignificant when adjusting for self-esteem and depression. Among the female participants, parental support at Wave 1 was a significant predictor for sport participation at Waves 1, 2, and 3(p < 0.01) even after depression and self-esteem were introduced into the model. That is to say, unlike male participants, parental support during adolescence has an independent effect on sport participation from adolescence(Wave 1) through early young adulthood(Wave 3) over and above the effects of depression and self-esteem in female participants.Conclusion: The results of this study contributed to the literature by providing important information on the longitudinal effect of parental support during adolescence on the trajectory of sport participation from adolescence through young adulthood using a nationally representative sample of participants transitioning from adolescence to young adulthood.

Correlates of physical activity in fifth-grade students in Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam

Studies investigating correlates of physical activity(PA)using objective PA measurements among primary schoolaged children are limited in Asia,particularly Vietnam.This study examined psychosocial and environmental factors associated with PA among fifth-grade students in eight primary schools in Ho Chi Minh city,Vietnam.Bivariate analyses showed that for every month increase in students’age,an increase of 66 steps/day(p<0.05)was found;boys had 1442 more steps/day than girls(p<0.001);and students from lower income households had 1169 steps/day less than those from higher income households(p<0.01).For every unit increase in self-efficacy,perceived social influences,intention to be physically active,and parental support for PA,an increase of 220,200,522,and 117 steps/day(p<0.01)was found respectively.In multivariable analysis,only intention and parental support for PA remained significant(p<0.01).About 21%of variation in daily steps was explained by demographic characteristics and an additional 13%by psychosocial influences.In conclusion,intention to be physically active and parental support are important factors and should be considered when designing PA interventions in school/community-based settings.

Associations between three measures of physical activity and selected influences on physical activity in youth transitioning from elementary to middle school

Measurement of physical activity is challenging,and objective and subjective methods can be used.The purposes of this study were to apply structural equation modeling in:1)examining the associations between three distinct measures of physical activity and three factors that are often found to be correlated to physical activity in chil-dren,and 2)examining the associations of the combination of three measures with the same correlates in a cohort of youth followed from 5th to 7th grade.A total of 409 children(45%boys)had complete physical activity data derived from accelerometers,self-report by youth,and proxy-report by parents.The potential correlates of physical activity included self-efficacy,physical activity support,and facilities for physical activity.Structural equation models were used to assess the relationship between physical activity and the correlates.The structural equation models examining associations between individual measures of physical activity and selected correlates showed that parent-reported and child self-reported physical activity were associated with parental support for physical activity and self-efficacy.Objectively measured physical activity was associated only with facilities for physical activity.A structural equation model showed that a composite expression of physical activity,based on the inclusion of all three individual measures,was associated with all three correlates of physical activity.In conclusion,combining measures of physical activity from different sources may improve the identification of correlates of physical activity.This information could be used to plan more effective physical activity in-terventions in children and youth.