TY - JOUR
T1 - Correlates of adherence to a physical activity program in young African-American girls
AU - Lemmon, Christian R.
AU - Ludwig, David A.
AU - Howe, Cheryl A.
AU - Ferguson-Smith, Ayanay
AU - Barbeau, Paule
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2007/3
Y1 - 2007/3
N2 - Objective: The goal was to identify correlates of adherence to a structured physical activity (PA) program. Research Methods and Procedures: Subjects were 136 8-to 12-year-old African-American girls. Potential correlates at baseline were: 1) fitness index (FI: % body fat from DXA and cardiovascular fitness from treadmill test), and 2) self-esteem, anxiety, attitude to school and teachers, relationship with parents, and interpersonal relations (Behavioral Assessment System for Children). The 10-month PA program included 80 minutes of PA offered 5 days/wk. Regression tree classification was used to model attendance. Results: Six splits occurred (34% total variance explained). Less anxious subjects attended more often than highly anxious subjects (3 days/wk vs. 1.5 days/wk) did. Subjects with a healthier FI attended more often than those with a less healthy FI (3 days/wk vs. 0.5 days/wk) did. Younger subjects attended more often than older ones (3 days/wk vs. 2.5 days/wk) did. The next two splits were again with anxiety (3.5 days/wk vs. 3 days/wk) and FI (3 days/wk vs. 2.5 days/wk). Finally, subjects with higher levels of self-esteem attended more often than those with lower levels (3.5 days/wk vs. 2 days/wk) did. Discussion: Subjects who were self-confident, younger, fitter, and less anxious were more likely to participate regularly. This suggests that children who may be more likely to benefit from a PA program are less likely to participate. To enhance participation in PA programs, especially in older African-American girls: 1) psychological concerns should be identified and addressed before enrollment, and 2) programs should be designed to be appealing to children of all fitness levels.
AB - Objective: The goal was to identify correlates of adherence to a structured physical activity (PA) program. Research Methods and Procedures: Subjects were 136 8-to 12-year-old African-American girls. Potential correlates at baseline were: 1) fitness index (FI: % body fat from DXA and cardiovascular fitness from treadmill test), and 2) self-esteem, anxiety, attitude to school and teachers, relationship with parents, and interpersonal relations (Behavioral Assessment System for Children). The 10-month PA program included 80 minutes of PA offered 5 days/wk. Regression tree classification was used to model attendance. Results: Six splits occurred (34% total variance explained). Less anxious subjects attended more often than highly anxious subjects (3 days/wk vs. 1.5 days/wk) did. Subjects with a healthier FI attended more often than those with a less healthy FI (3 days/wk vs. 0.5 days/wk) did. Younger subjects attended more often than older ones (3 days/wk vs. 2.5 days/wk) did. The next two splits were again with anxiety (3.5 days/wk vs. 3 days/wk) and FI (3 days/wk vs. 2.5 days/wk). Finally, subjects with higher levels of self-esteem attended more often than those with lower levels (3.5 days/wk vs. 2 days/wk) did. Discussion: Subjects who were self-confident, younger, fitter, and less anxious were more likely to participate regularly. This suggests that children who may be more likely to benefit from a PA program are less likely to participate. To enhance participation in PA programs, especially in older African-American girls: 1) psychological concerns should be identified and addressed before enrollment, and 2) programs should be designed to be appealing to children of all fitness levels.
KW - Adiposity
KW - Anxiety
KW - Children
KW - Physical fitness
KW - Self-esteem
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U2 - 10.1038/oby.2007.552
DO - 10.1038/oby.2007.552
M3 - Article
C2 - 17372320
AN - SCOPUS:34247390537
SN - 1930-7381
VL - 15
SP - 695
EP - 703
JO - Obesity
JF - Obesity
IS - 3
ER -