A multilevel analysis examining the association between socio- ecological factors and physical activity in Interlake youth Public Health 2014 May 28, 2014 Tannis Erickson

 Determine:  physical activity levels of Interlake youth  if these levels vary by gender or over time  the individual, social & environmental factors are associated with physical activity levels Goals

 Secondary analysis of school-based survey  Cross-sectional and longitudinal components  Youth Health Survey (YHS) in the Interlake RHA  2005 n=5436 students in 42 schools  2009 n=5275 students in 53 schools Study

 Captured frequency, duration and level of physical activity  Converted into kilocalories per kilogram of body weight per day (KKD).  Daily KKD = (hours of moderate PA x 3 METS) + (hours of vigorous PA x 6 METS) divided by 7 days Measuring physical activity

Ecological Model of Physical Activity

Results – Physical activity levels 54%

Results – Changes as students age

Results – Univariate regression  Female: 0.66 (0.60,0.70)  Grade 12: 0.61 (0.53,0.71)  3+hours sedentary time: 2.10 (1.68,2.63)  Daily smoker: 0.81 (0.73,0.90)  Overweight/obese: 0.68 (0.62,0.74)  7+ fruits/veggies: 2.57 (2.29,2.89)

 Highly associated with PA levels  sex, year, active transportation to school, healthy eating, body image and feeling close to people at school  Moderately associated with PA levels  Sedentary time, feelings of hopelessness, feeling safe at school and learning about the benefits of physical activity Modelling results

 Surprising results:  positive association between sedentary behaviour and physical activity  the fact that grade, smoking, BMI and school level variables did not show a significant relationship with physical activity Modelling results

Strengths/Weaknesses

 in-depth understanding of the factors that affect physical activity is an important aspect of improving overall health  factors in all areas of the social ecological model of health behaviour need to be considered when developing health promotion programs  key variables have significant impacts on the physical activity level of youth Public health implications

 First study of its kind in Manitoba  Results will have implications for all rural regions of the province  Future development of policies, programs and interventions can greatly benefit from these and future results Knowledge added

Thank-you