Ecological correlates related to adolescent movement behaviors: A latent class analysis

Abstract

The ecological model has been widely used to help researchers understand the multiple influences in the physical activity (PA) and in the sedentary behaviors in isolated forms. To date, few correlates concerning the behavioral groupings of PA and sedentary behaviors have been studied. In this context, this study aimed to identify movement behaviors’ latent classes related to the different adolescents’ PA and sedentary time expressions, as well as their associations with individual, sociodemographic, family, and environmental correlates. This is a cross-sectional study with 309 students aged between 14 and 16. Latent Class Analysis was used to identify movement behavior classes based on light PA, moderate to vigorous PA, number of steps, sedentary time, and screen time (ST). An accelerometer was used to evaluate movement behaviors. The individual, sociodemographic, family, and environmental correlates were assessed by questionnaires. Three classes were identified: Class 1, "Active and Non-Sedentary" (8.10% of the sample), Class 2, "Active and Sedentary" (28.5%), and Class 3, "Inactive and Sedentary" (63.4%). Those with low fruit intake, low aerobic fitness, stressed and whose head of the family obtained an ‘elementary school’ level education were, respectively, 7.17, 3.59, 3.56, and 4.40 times more likely to belong to class 3 than class 1. Those with medium and high socioeconomic status were 82% and 83% less likely to belong to class 1 than classes 2 and 3, respectively. Adolescents who perceived the neighborhoods with the best access to diversified land use, street connectivity, walking/pedaling ease, and traffic safety attributes, were 84%, 85%, 82%, and 82%, respectively less likely to belong to class 1 than class 2. It is concluded that distinct correlates can be associated with the movement behaviors classes.