Psychosocial aspects of Costa Rican adolescents' eating and physical activity patterns

To determine the importance of some psychosocial aspects on the eating and physical activity patterns of Costa Rican adolescents.

A total of 1200 adolescents were included in the study. Data were collected using a self-administered instrument containing the following elements: questions to elicit demographic information and five sections with several items (stated as positive or negative behaviors) to study the influence of peers, parents, social environment, body image, and self-efficacy on five target behaviors, intake of foods rich in saturated fats, calcium, and iron, along with consumption of fruits and vegetables and physical activity practices. Data were analyzed using a factor analysis with main component extraction and varimax rotation, along with multiple regression analyses.

Social environment and peer influence were the major factors that predict behaviors associated with the intake of foods rich in saturated fat. Meanwhile, parental and social environment influences were the main factors in explaining the fruit and vegetable intake-related behaviors. Self-efficacy was a significant predictor of behaviors associated with physical activity. Body image influence was an important variable associated with all the behaviors analyzed. Multiple regression analyses suggest that the fathers' educational level, the adolescents' age, being female, and living in a rural area may have positive influence on the behaviors studied; however, the overall R(2) for all regression models was quite small (<.03).

Most of the variability in adolescents' food intake and physical activity-related behaviors remained unexplained by the demographic variables included in the study. Nevertheless, the results suggest that promotion of health programs built on the influence of social environment, peers and family members, and self-efficacy may have a positive impact on the adolescents' food and physical activity patterns. However, the clear definition of which psychosocial aspect(s) strongly influence the behavior to be modified, is essential for designing an intervention that is properly directed at the correct target.