Social-Cognitive Correlates of Physical Activity in a Multi-Ethnic Cohort of Middle-School Girls: Two-year Prospective Study

Objective The study examined social-cognitive correlates of physical activity in a multi-ethnic cohort of girls from six regions of the United States who participated in the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls during their 6th and 8th grade school years. Methods Girls completed validated questionnaires and wore accelerometers that measured weekly physical activity in the spring of 2002 and 2005. Results In 8th grade, self-efficacy and perceived social support had indirect relations with physical activity mediated through perceived barriers, which was inversely related to physical activity. Self-efficacy also had a direct relation with physical activity. Conclusions Correlations were smaller than those obtained in studies that measured physical activity by self-reports, suggesting that previous estimates were inflated by common method artifact. Nonetheless, physical activity trials among girls during early adolescence might focus on increasing self-efficacy for overcoming barriers to physical activity and on ways by which perceived barriers can otherwise be reduced.