The Relationship Of Personal And Environmental Factors And Physical Activity In Parents Of Young African American Children

Abstract

Regular physical activity engagement is associated with decreased risk of obesity; however, interventions to increase physical activity targeting African Americans have not been effective in achieving increased physical activity participation. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to describe self-reported physical activity in parents of young (ages 6-12 years) African American children, personal and environmental factors related to these parents’ physical activity, and parents’ perceptions of the outcomes of their own physical activity behaviors. The Social Cognitive Theory provided the theoretical framework for this study. A convenience sample of 130 African American parents of young children were recruited from community sites and a local organization. Of those, 127 (87 females, 40 males) completed the online study survey. Following data cleaning according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) scoring protocol, 96 subjects were included in the analyses for this study. Subjects completed an IPAQ-short form (IPAQ-S), Knowledge of Physical Activity Guidelines Questionnaire, Multidimensional Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale (MSES), Multidimensional Outcome Expectations for Exercise Scale (MOEES), the MacArthur Subjective Social Status (SSS) Scale, Physical Activity Neighborhood Environmental Scale (PANES), and African American Acculturation Scale-Revised (AAAS-R)-Preference for African American Things subscale. The majority of parents/caregivers were female (59%) under the age of 45 (91%) residing in South Side, Chicago. Over 20% had more than one child ages 6-12 years in their household with reported incomes more than $75,000 annually (60%). The correlations using Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient between the variables of knowledge, physical environment, and physical activity were moderate to weak. There was a moderate negative agreement found between knowledge and physical activity. Knowledge was significantly related to parents/caregivers’ levels of activity (METs/week), rς =-.30, p<.05. There was a weak positive association found between physical environment and physical activity. Physical environment was significantly related to parents/caregivers’ level of activity (METs/week), rς =.25, p<.05. Predictors of physical activity participation in this population were perceived self-efficacy and physical environment. Almost 33% of variance in physical activity levels were explained by perceived self-efficacy b=0.12, SE b=0.05, β=.21, t(84)=2.20, p=.030; physical environment b=0.73, SE b=0.21, β=.33, t(84)=3.56, p=.001; and a significant inverse relation with knowledge b=-2.26, SE b=0.94, β=-.25, t(84)=-2.42, p=.018. Findings indicate the strength of self-confidence and physical environment in influencing physical activity behavior. Findings support the need for more research in identifying predictors of physical activity participation among African American parents of young children.