Associations of Acculturation and Social Support with Physical Activity among South Asian Female Adolescents in the United States
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Background This study aimed to examine relationships between acculturation, social support and physical activity (PA) among South Asian American female adolescents. Methods This study used baseline data from the South Asians Active Together (SAATH) trial, which included 126 South Asian females aged 11–16 years residing in the Chicago area. Participants wore a wrist ActiGraph accelerometer for 7 days and completed surveys assessing acculturation and PA-related psychological constructs, including parental and peer support, self-efficacy, attitudes, and perceived barriers. Multivariable linear regressions examined associations of acculturation categories (bicultural, Asian, Western, and separated) and parental and peer support scores with PA-related outcomes, adjusting for age, weight status, maternal education, and neighborhood resources. Results Participants on average engaged in 20 minutes/day of moderate- and vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA; 95% CI = 16–24). Participants in Asian and bicultural acculturation categories reported higher parental PA support than those in the Western acculturation category ( p = 0.02). Compared to participants in the bicultural category, those in the Asian category reported greater perceived barriers to PA ( p = 0.02). Higher parental support was associated with greater PA self-efficacy ( p < 0.01) and lower perceived barriers ( p < 0.01). Higher peer support was associated with more positive PA attitudes ( p < 0.05). However, acculturation, parental support, or peer support was not significantly associated with MVPA levels. Conclusions Findings suggest that promoting PA-supportive parenting practices may enhance PA self-efficacy and reduce barriers to PA, while peer support may foster positive PA attitudes among South Asian American female adolescents. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04400253. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04400253 May 21, 2020.
