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Objective: To examine the role of social support (SS) and self-efficacy (SE) for physical activity (PA) in rural high school girls (N = 259, 15.5±1.2yrs). Methods: Using structural equation modeling, the relationships among PA, SS for PA from mother, father, and peers, and SE for overcoming barriers, seeking support, and resisting competing activities were tested. Results: The effect of peer SS on PA was partially mediated through overcoming barriers. The effect of support seeking on PA was fully mediated through peer SS to overcoming barriers. Neither parent influenced PA. Conclusions: Peer SS and specific dimensions of SE should be considered in intervention studies.
Key words: psychosocial influence, high school, overweight, television, parents, peers
Am J Health Behav. 2007;31(3):227-237
An increasing concern among public health officials is the consistently low levels of habitual physical activity exhibited by adolescent girls.1-5 To address this health concern, a recent review6 of the correlates of physical activity participation for adolescent girls identified self-efficacy and social influences as important areas in need of additional investigation in order to understand the precursors of and mechanisms related to continued involvement of girls in physical activities (eg, sports, leisure pursuits).
Self-efficacy, described as a person's evaluation of his or her ability to overcome salient barriers (eg, time constraints, lack of support) for a given behavior (ie, physical activity),7 is one of the primary constructs of the social cognitive theory.8 Self-efficacy has received considerable empirical scrutiny for its mediating role in the development of physical activity behaviors.9-13 It has been found to be related to intentions to be physically active.9-12 Further, self-efficacy serves as a mediating variable for the effects of a school-based intervention designed to increase adolescent girls' activity levels5 and the ability to overcome environmental constraints (ie, reduced equipment access).13 Self-efficacy is proposed to be a multidimensional construct,14-15 consisting of subdimensions (eg, barriers, support seeking, competing activities, and environmental change) related to specific efficacious perceptions regarding hindrances to being physically active. Findings indicate some subscales of self-efficacy may be more influential than others,15,16 suggesting the need to differentiate the multidimensional aspects of self-efficacy into its constituent parts. Utilizing such an approach would provide greater focus when designing interventions. Potentially, this would result in stronger program effects by focusing attention on the most...