Data from: Naturally-occurring changes in social-cognitive factors modify change in physical activity during early adolescence

Purpose. To determine whether naturally-occurring changes in
children's motives and beliefs are associated with the steep decline
in physical activity observed from childhood to early adolescence.
Methods. Latent growth modeling was applied in longitudinal tests of
social-cognitive influences, and their interactions, on physical activity
in a large cohort of boys and girls evaluated annually between 5th and 7th
grades. Results. Measurement equivalence of motives and beliefs was
confirmed between boys and girls. After adjustment for gender and maturity
differences, physical activity declined less in children who reported the
least decreases in self-efficacy for overcoming barriers to activity and
perceived parental support. Physical activity also declined less in
students who persistently felt they had more parental and friend support
for activity compared to those who reported the largest decrease in
support from friends. After further adjustment for race, the decline in
physical activity was less in those who had the largest decrease in
perceived barriers and maintained a favorable perception of their
neighborhood environment. Changes in enjoyment and social motives were
unrelated to change in physical activity. Conclusion. Using an objective
measure of physical activity, we confirm that naturally-occurring changes
in children's beliefs about barriers to physical activity and their
ability to overcome them, as well as perceptions of their neighborhood
environment and social support, are concurrent with age-related declines
in children's physical activity. The longitudinal findings confirm
these putative social-cognitive mediators as plausible, interacting
targets of interventions designed to mitigate the marked decline in
physical activity that occurs during the transition between elementary and
middle schools.