Skip to main content
Log in

Independent and Joint Effects of Socioeconomic, Behavioral, and Neighborhood Characteristics on Physical Inactivity and Activity Levels Among US Children and Adolescents

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Community Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examines the independent and joint associations between several socioeconomic and behavioral characteristics and physical activity (PA) and inactivity prevalence among 68,288 US children aged 6–17 years. The 2003 National Survey of Children’s Health was used to estimate PA prevalence. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds of activity and inactivity and adjusted prevalence, while least squares regression was used to model mean number of days of physical inactivity (PIA) in past month. The prevalence of PA varied substantially by socioeconomic and behavioral characteristics, with older, female, non-English speaking, and metropolitan children and those with lower socioeconomic status (SES) and neighborhood social capital having higher inactivity and lower activity levels. Children who watched television ≥3 h/day had 60% higher adjusted odds of PIA and 30% lower odds of PA than those who watched television <3 h/day. Children experiencing inadequate sleep during the entire week had 55% higher odds of PIA and 29% lower odds of PA than those who experienced ≥5 nights of adequate sleep during the week. Children whose both parents were physically inactive had 147% higher odds of PIA and 46% lower odds of PA than children whose parents were both physically active. Differentials in PIA by ethnicity, SES, television viewing, and parental inactivity were greater for younger than for older children. Subgroups such as older, female adolescents, children from socially disadvantaged households and neighborhoods, and those in metropolitan areas should be targeted for the promotion of regular physical activity and reduced television viewing time.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. US Department of Health and Human Services. (1996). Physical activity and health: A report of the surgeon general. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2000). Promoting better health for young people through physical activity and sports: A report to the president from the secretary of health and human services and the secretary of education. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

  3. American Academy of Pediatrics. (2006). Active healthy living: prevention of childhood obesity through increased physical activity. Pediatrics, 117, 1834–1842.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Koplan, J. P., Liverman, C. T., & Kraak, V. A. (eds.). (2005). Preventing childhood obesity: Health in the balance. Institute of medicine. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

    Google Scholar 

  5. National Center for Health Statistics. (2005). Health, United States, 2005 with chartbook on trends in the health of Americans. Hyattsville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services.

  6. Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Curtin, L. R., McDowell, M. A., Tabak, C. J., & Felgal, K. M. (2006). Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999–2004. Journal of the American Medical Association, 295, 1549–2850.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Miech, R. A., Kumanyika, S. K., Setler, N., Link, B. G., Phelan, J. C., & Chang, V. W. (2006). Trends in the association of poverty with overweight among US adolescents, 1971–2004. Journal of the American Medical Association, 295, 2385–2393.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Keim, N. L., Blanton, C. A., & Kretsch, M. J. (2004). America’s obesity epidemic: Measuring physical activity to promote an active lifestyle. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 104, 1398–1409.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Eaton, D. K., Kann, L., Kinchen, S., et al. (2006). Youth risk behavior surveillance – United States, 2005. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 55(SS-5), 1–108.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Adams, J. (2006). Trends in physical activity and inactivity amongst US 14–18 year olds by gender, school grade and race, 1993–2003: Evidence from the youth risk behavior survey. BMC Public Health, 6(57), 1–7.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Gordon-Larsen, P., McMurray, R. G., & Popkin, B. M. (2000). Determinants of adolescent physical activity and inactivity patterns. Pediatrics, 105, E83.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Heitzler, C. D., Martin, S. L., Duke, J., & Huhman, M. ( 2006). Correlates of physical activity in a national sample of children aged 9–13 years. Preventive Medicine, 42, 254–260.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Strauss, R. S., Rodzilsky, D., Burack, G., & Colin, M. (2001). Psychosocial correlates of physical activity in healthy children. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 155, 897–902.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Janssen, I., Biyce, W. F., Simpson, K., & Pickett, W. (2006). Influence of individual- and area-level measures of socioeconomic status on obesity, unhealthy eating, and physical inactivity in Canadian adolescents. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83, 139–145.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. National Center for Health Statistics. (2005). The National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), 2003: the public use data file. Hyattsville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services.

  16. van Dyck, P., Kogan, M. D., Heppel, D., Blumberg, S. J., Cynamon, M. J., & Newacheck, P. W. (2004). The National Survey of Children’s Health: A new data resource. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 8, 183–188.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Blumberg, S. J., Olson, L., Frankel, M. R., et al. (2005). Design and operation of the National Survey of Children’s Health, 2003. Vital and Health Statistics, 1(43), 1–124.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Sallis, J. F., Prochaska, J. J., & Taylor, W. C. (2000) A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 32, 963–975.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Baum, F. E., & Ziersch, A. M. (2003). Social capital. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 57, 320–323.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Kawachi, I., Kim, D., Coutts, A., & Subramanian, S. V. (2004). Commentary: Reconciling the three accounts of social capital. International Journal of Epidemiology, 33, 682–690.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Kim, D., Subramanian, S. V., Gortmaker, S. L., & Kawachi, I. (2006). US state- and county-level social capital in relation to obesity and physical inactivity: A multilevel, multivariable analysis. Social Science and Medicine, 63, 1045–1059.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. SUDAAN: Software for the Statistical Analysis of Correlated Data, Release 9.0.1. (2005). Research Triangle Park, NC: Research Triangle Institute.

  23. Barnes, P. M., & Schoenborn, C. A. (2003). Physical activity among adults. Advance Data from Vital Health Statistics, 333, 1–24.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Mo, F., Turner, M., Krewski, D., & Mo, F. D. (2005). Physical inactivity and socioeconomic status in Canadian adolescents. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 17, 49–56.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Gordon-Larsen, P., Nelson, M. C., Page, P., & Pokin, B. M. ( 2006). Inequality in the built environment underlies key health disparities in physical activity and obesity. Pediatrics, 117, 417–424.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Gomez, J. E., Johnson, B. A., Selva, M., & Sallis, J. F. (2004). Violent crime and outdoor physical activity among inner-city youth. Preventive Medicine, 39, 876–881.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Booth, K. M., Pinkston, M. M., & Poston, W. S. C. (2005). Obesity and the built environment. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 105, S110–S117.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. US Department of Health and Human Services. (2000). Healthy People 2010: Understanding and improving health, 2nd edn. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gopal K. Singh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Singh, G.K., Kogan, M.D., Siahpush, M. et al. Independent and Joint Effects of Socioeconomic, Behavioral, and Neighborhood Characteristics on Physical Inactivity and Activity Levels Among US Children and Adolescents. J Community Health 33, 206–216 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-008-9094-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-008-9094-8

Keywords

Navigation