Exploring social and physical contextual factors on adolescent’s physical activity: An ecological momentary assessment study

Abstract

Physical activity (PA) peaks during early adolescence followed by sharp declines. Understanding factors related to PA during adolescence will help inform strategies to attenuate such declines. We explored effects of social and physical contexts on moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA) among adolescents using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). In Fall 2019, participants (N=190 adolescents; Mage = 15.8±0.5 years; 83 female; 64% White) from Southern Ontario, Canada received four EMA surveys daily after-school while wearing an accelerometer for one week. Time spent in MVPA 60-mins following each EMA prompt was calculated. A mixed-effects location scale model estimated each person’s mean MVPA and MVPA variance at between-person and within-person levels. Results showed a statistically significant within-person interaction between social and physical context such that the fewest MVPA minutes occurred after participants reported being alone and at home, whereas the highest amount of MVPA occurred after reports of being away from home and alone. There was a statistically significant within-person effect of physical context on within-person variance suggesting more consistent patterns of activity when participants reported being at home relative to when they were away from home. Gender was a statistically significant covariate in the mean and within-person models. This study aligns with prior literature examining socio-environmental factors related to PA during adolescence and is among the first to examine associations between contextual factors and variability in MVPA.