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Background-Self-efficacy theory proposes that girls who have confidence in their capability to be physically active will perceive fewer barriers to physical activity or be less influenced by them, be more likely to pursue perceived benefits of being physically active, and be more likely to enjoy physical activity. Self-efficacy is theorized also to influence physical activity through selfmanagement strategies (e.g., thoughts, goals, plans, and acts) that support physical activity, but this idea has not been empirically tested.

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Objective-To study the relationship between peer-related physical activity (PA) social networks and the PA of adolescent girls.Methods-Cross-sectional, convenience sample of adolescent girls. Mixed-model linear regression analyses to identify significant correlates of self-reported PA while accounting for correlation of girls in the same school.Results-Younger girls were more active than older girls. Most activity-related peer social network items were related to PA levels. More PA with friends was significantly related to self-reported PA in multivariate analyses. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptConclusions-Frequency of PA with friends was an important correlate of PA among the peer network variables for adolescent girls. KeywordsSocial networks; social support; physical activity; adolescents; girls Physical activity declines in adolescent girls, and there is a need to understand factors that are associated with this phenomenon. 1 Heaney and Israel suggest that in adults, social support together with social networks has an important causal effect on health, exposure to stress, and the relationship between stress and health. 2 Almost every study that has examined the relationship between physical activity and social support has found a strong positive association using both cross-sectional and prospective study designs, and most have focused on adults. 3-7 There is also evidence that social support may be more influential for women than for men 5-7 and that social networks are the primary means by which individuals receive support. At the same time, the evidence for the relationship between peer support in adolescents is inconsistent. Most studies use overall measures of support with considerable variation in the measurement of physical activity. 8Most research on social networks or peer influence in adolescents has focused on health risk behaviors, such as the influence of peers on smoking behavior. 9-14 Fewer studies have examined whether and how friends' prosocial behaviors may affect the positive health behaviors of adolescents. For instance, prosocial groups are also thought to be protective against violent behavior in youth. 14 Preliminary findings from the PACE (Patient-Centered Assessment and Counseling for Exercise) study showed the relationship between overall peer support and self-reported PA was stronger for girls compared to the boys. (unpublished analyses, J Prochaska & J Sallis, July, 2002). No published data currently exist on peer networks and physical activity among adolescent girls. To fill this gap in the literature, this paper provides preliminary data on the activity-related social networks of middle school girls. Social networks that include active girls or boys could positively influence girls' physical activity by providing opportunities for social support, social influence, social engagement, and access to resources and personal contact to encourage physical activity. 15,16 Understanding which social network features are related to physical activity and the ways by which they promote p...

This article reports on the outcomes of the Teens Eating for Energy and Nutrition at School (TEENS) study, a 2-year intervention study conducted in 16 middle schools with a goal of increasing students' intakes of fruits, vegetables, and lower fat foods. Despite positive interim results for students randomized to intervention schools, the positive effects of the intervention were not seen for the primary outcomes at the end of the 2nd year. Positive effects were seen only for a food choice score (suggesting that the students usually choose lower versus higher fat foods) and not for measures of food intake. Future studies may need to take a step back toward more controlled efficacy studies in working with this age-group. In addition, future work may consider the use of peer leaders, more intensive teacher training, ongoing formative assessment, and the testing of more powerful environmental change intervention strategies.

Scientific literacy reflects "a broad and functional understanding of science for general education purposes" (DeBoer, 2000, p. 594). Herein, we present the ongoing development of the Scientific Literacy Assessment (SLA), a work-in-progress measure to assess middle school students' (ages 11-14) scientific literacy. The SLA includes a selected response measure of students' demonstrated scientific literacy (SLA-D) and a motivation and beliefs scale based on existing measures of self-efficacy, subjective task value, and personal epistemology for science (SLA-MB). Our theoretical conceptualization of scientific literacy guided the development of our measure. We provide details from three studies: Pilot Study 1 (n = 124) and Pilot Study 2 (n = 220) describe the development of the SLA-D by conducting iterative item analyses of the student responses, think-aloud interviews with six students, and external expert feedback on the items in the SLA-D. Study 3 describes the testing of our prototype measure (n = 264). We present a validity argument including reliability evidence that supports the use of the current version of the SLA to provide evaluation of middle school students' scientific literacy. Our resulting SLA includes the SLA-D in two versions, each with 26 items and the SLA-MB with 25 items across three scales: value of science, scientific literacy self-efficacy, and personal epistemology. C 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 98:549-580, 2014

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