Abstract
Minority adolescent girls are at an increased risk for an unhealthy weight, compared to boys and their White counterparts. Thus, the determinants of healthy weight behaviors in this population need to be thoroughly understood. This study explored the psychological and environmental determinants of physical activity and healthy eating behavior, as well as the interactions between psychological and environmental characteristics in a sample of ethnically diverse middle school age girls. Hierarchical linear models (HLM) were used to analyze the effects of individual-level and zip code-level variables on girls’ physical activity and healthy eating behaviors. An exploratory model, with BMI percentile as the outcome, was also tested via a multiple regression analysis. <o:p></o:p></p><p>
Final model estimates suggested that higher physical activity self-efficacy and physical activity knowledge was associated with greater levels of physical activity. Higher dietary self-efficacy was associated with healthier eating; however, unexpectedly, higher dietary knowledge was associated with lower levels of healthy eating. Several significant interactions in the models provide evidence for the importance of
environmental interventions. Girls with low physical activity self-efficacy were negatively impacted by living in a poorly connected neighborhood. Further, in girls with low physical activity self-efficacy and health knowledge, higher property crime was associated with decreased physical activity. Lastly, results from our exploratory BMI model suggest that closer access to parks can promote a healthy weight in youths and increasing health knowledge can protect children from the negative effects of living in a food swamp.