Pediatric overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) for age of 85th-95th percentile, and occurs in approximately 33.6% of adolescents 12-19 years of age. Hispanic adolescents are disproportionately at risk for overweight. Excess weight can predispose adolescents to develop diabetes mellitus type 2, coronary artery disease, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, sleep apnea, osteoporosis, asthma, and certain types of cancer, whereas physical activity can help prevent and treat these diseases. Little is known about the factors that contribute to physical activity in Hispanic adolescent girls. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the influence of personal characteristics, perceptual influences, interpersonal influences and sociocultural influences on physical activity in White and Hispanic adolescent girls. The theoretical framework for this study was self-designed--the Physical Activity Lifestyle Model. Data for this cross-sectional study was collected from girls age 11-14 who presented to the Children's Wellness Center in Del Valle, TX (N = 121) in the summers of 2011 and 2012. Most participants self-identified as Hispanic (n = 106). Participants completed a survey consisting of a 1-day physical activity recall, a demographic questionnaire, and several validated (primarily Likert-type) questionnaires. Height and weight were measured in the clinic. Data analysis began with descriptive analysis (mean, standard deviation and percentage) of demographic characteristics, dependent and independent variables, then Pearson correlations, and finally multiple linear regression to determine the influence of the independent variables on physical activity. No significant differences were found between ethnic groups on age, grade or school (p > .05). Physical activity was significantly related to body image (r = .189, p < .05), friend social support (r = .279, p < .01), and family social support (r = .401, p < .01). In addition, physical activity significantly predicted BMI percentile (B = -.043, SE = .019, t = -2.249, p = .027), appearance-related media messages (B = .259, SE = .127, t = 2.038, p = .044), pressures to be thin (B = .311, SE = .149, t = 2.082, p = .040), family social support for physical activity (B = .089, SE = .042, t = 2.139, p = .035), body image (B = .367, SE = .123, t = 2.987, p = .004), and physical activity enjoyment (B = .083, SE = .040, t = 2.089, p = .040). When designing an intervention to promote physical activity, health care providers and educators should consider that multiple external factors influence physical activity participation in Hispanic adolescent girls. Healthcare providers should involve parents and siblings in physical activity interventions for overweight adolescent girls. Interventions should be tailored to work with the adolescent girls' physical and social environment. Public health nurses should work with schools and communities to increase physical activity opportunities for adolescent girls in physical education classes, girls' sports, and after-school programs. / text

More than one-half of university students in the United States and Canada are not active enough to gain health benefits. Enjoyment of exercise proposes a feasible solution to the absence of motivation surrounding physical activity. The purpose of this study is to compare the differences in reported enjoyment between upper and lower body cycling graded exercise to exhaustion (GXT). Seven university students (23 ± 3 years old; 26 ± 4 kg/m2) performed two randomized graded exercise tests on different days: one for upper body, one for lower body. Feeling Scale (FS) measured the affective response during exercise. Post-exercise enjoyment values were recorded 15 minutes after concluding GXT using the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES), which has been shown to be a valid and reliable measure of physical activity enjoyment. Paired t-tests were used to evaluate mean differences between upper and lower body GXT enjoyment scores. Rank biserial correlations and Cohen's d values were used to evaluate effect size for the non-parametric and parametric analyses. Alpha level was set a priori at p < 0.05. Means and standard deviations were calculated for PACES, age, and BMI. No significant differences were found for enjoyment (p=0.162) between upper (104.3 ± 12.6) and lower-body cycling (97.8 ± 15.3). Notable effect sizes were found for the PACES Total and several subscales (Enjoy/Hate, Pleasant, and Contentment). No significant differences were found for the FS at ventilatory threshold (p=0.586) or at maximal aerobic power (p=0.670) between the upper and lower body GXT trials. More research is needed to explore exercise enjoyment across different exercise modes and provide a more particular evaluation of PACES subscales. Further research should aim to compare enjoyment levels across different physical activity levels (e.g., low, moderate, high), between sexes and within diverse populations.

No description available.