Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114117

Jennnifer Duke, PhD¹, Mary Jo Nolin, PhD², Lance Potter, MA², and Judy Berkowitz, PhD³. (1) American Legacy Foundation, 2030 M St NW, 7th floor, Washington, DC 20036, 202 454 7739, jduke@americanlegacy.org, (2) Westat, 1650 Research Blvd, Rockville, MD 20850, (3) National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)/ VERB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2877 Brandywine Road, Williams Building, Fifth floor, Atlanta, GA 30341-3717

The rise of obesity among children is a growing concern in national health policy. A key variable in the increase in children's weight is widely regarded to be decreasing levels of physical activity. The 2004 Youth Media Campaign Longitudinal examined physical activity behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes among the nation's 9- to 13-year old children their parents. Our presentation will contrast parental influences on the youth physical activity in English-dominant and Spanish-dominant households. Variations in parental beliefs and attitudes about physical activity by language in the household will be explored. The authors will also examine the relationship between parental factors and youth physical activity by home language.

Influences on physical activity including household characteristics, parental beliefs about the importance and value of youth physical activity, measures of parental involvement in activity, and perceived barriers to physical activity will be examined. Additionally, we will explore child factors influencing physical activity including perceived self-efficacy, social norms, and perceptions of parental support, as well as behavioral measures.

Policy-makers and health program designers will gain insight into whether different factors influence youth physical activity in Spanish- and English-speaking households. Such information could contribute to better tailoring of messages to Spanish- and English-speaking Hispanic households, and in turn, to more successful health interventions related to youth and family physical activity.

Learning Objectives: