Volume 30, Issue 6: December, 2003

Abstract

Linking Perceptions of the Community to Behavior: Are Protective Social Factors Associated With Physical Activity?

Laura K. Brennan, MPH, Elizabeth A. Baker, PhD, Debra Haire-Joshu, PhD, and Ross C. Brownson, PhD

Although the relation ship of psychosocial factors to physical activity has been explored, there is increased interest in how perceptions of the community environment influence behavior. However, few methodological studies have incorporated perceptions of the social and community environment (protective social factors) or addressed key measurement issues. Computer-assisted telephone inter views were administered to a national sample of 1,818 U.S. adults. Unadjusted and multivariate-adjusted odds ratios were calculated to compare active and inactive participants by Protective Social Factors (PSF) scores and selected sociodemographics. Confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis suggested strong PSF scale psychometric properties (a = .92). After adjust ment for potential con founders, a 10-point rise in the PSF score resulted in a 12% increased likelihood of meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/American College of Sports Medicine recommendations. Additional analyses indicated that greater perceived PSFs were associated with meeting these recommendations among Whites but not among African Americans.