PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PREDICTORS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN MEXICAN ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

Background. Sedentarism and Physical Activity (PA) are considered main components of people's lifestyle and key indicators of health. Although they can be seen as opposite life conducts that reduce each other's effects on health, no study has yet clarified the nature of their relation. However, both behaviors can be influenced by similar psychological, social, and environmental constructs. Material and methods. We selected 480 students (272 boys, 208 girls) from middle schools in the metropolitan area of Monterrey (Mexico), who filled in questionnaires on PA behaviors and social-environmental correlates through an online system. Results. Our outcomes highlighted overall low PA levels. Further, girls are more affected by their social environment, whereas physical environment barriers represent a fitting predictor of boys' PA. Regardless of gender, PA engagement seems to be significantly determined by the level of enjoyment of sedentary behaviors. Conclusions. These results can help professionals in PA and health create gender-specific interventions targeting to raise youth's PA levels by means of enhancing psychosocial and contextual features. Due to the lack of studies on psychological factors related to sedentary behaviors, our results could arouse attention on this issue and promote further research to better understand the processes beneath it.