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). Method: 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.