| Background. Parental social support factors contributing to physical activity participation among Hispanic and Latino youth require examination, to assist in efforts to curb unhealthy trends in physical activity participation and subsequent wellness in this population. Methods . Combined perceptions of parental social support by parents and children were assessed to develop a high or low support score. Physical activity data was recorded via accelerometer pre and post intervention, with differences in proportion of moderate to vigorous physical activity calculated by support group. Results. While there were no significant differences in change in physical activity with male participants, among female participants there was a significant difference in the change in proportion of time spent in MVPA between high support and low support groups, with those who had high support showing a mean increase of 5.3% in their proportion of MVPA (t= -2.42; P< 0.047). Conclusions. Efforts to increase adolescent physical activity participation, especially among females, must address parental social support prior to initiation in structured exercise programs. |
