Pathways to outdoor recreation, physical activity, and delinquency among urban Latino adolescents
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
Caterina G Roman1, Monika Stodolska, Jennifer Yahner
1Department of Criminal Justice, Temple University, 1115 Polett Walk, Gladfelter Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA. croman@temple.edu
Background:
Little is known about how physical activity and various high-risk behaviors of youth are associated, particularly in disadvantaged, minority neighborhoods.
Purpose:
We examine whether fear, victimization, and perceived incivilities are associated with physical activity and outdoor recreation among Latino youth and whether involvement in physical activity is associated with delinquency.
Methods:
Path models were assessed using data collected from school-based surveys of 390 youth across 3 schools in Chicago, Illinois.
Results:
Fear was associated with low levels of physical activity and outdoor recreation, while incivilities were associated with reduced levels of outdoor recreation but not physical activity. Outdoor recreation exhibited a positive association with delinquency. Some effects differed by gender.
Conclusions:
The findings reinforce considering different interventions to encourage physical activity and outdoor recreation for girls versus boys, and thinking comprehensively about lowering the risk for delinquency when encouraging outdoor recreation.
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