Faculty Publications Physical Activity and Public Health Correlates of Physical Activity in Black, Hispanic, and White Middle School Girls Correlates of Physical Activity in Black, Hispanic, and White Middle School Girls

Background: A need exists to better understand multilevel influences on physical activity among diverse samples of girls. This study examined correlates of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among adolescent girls from different racial/ethnic backgrounds. Methods: 1,180 6th grade girls (24.5% black, 15.7% Hispanic, and 59.8% white) completed a supervised self-administered questionnaire that measured hypothesized correlates of PA. MVPA data were collected for 6 days using the ActiGraph accelerometer. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine correlates of PA in each racial/ethnic group. Results: Hispanic girls (n = 185) engaged in 21.7 minutes of MVPA per day, black girls (n = 289) engaged in 19.5 minutes of MVPA per day, and white girls (n = 706) engaged in 22.8 minutes of MVPA per day. Perceived transportation barriers (+; P = .010) were significantly and positively related to MVPA for Hispanic girls. were significant correlates of MVPA. Explained variance ranged from 30% to 35%. Conclusions: Correlates of MVPA varied by racial/ ethnic groups. Effective interventions in ethnically diverse populations may require culturally tailored strategies.