Physical Activity Attitudes, Preferences, and Practices in African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian Girls

Abstract

Physical activity levels in girls decline dramatically during adolescence, most profoundly among minorities. To explore ethnic and racial variation in attitudes toward physical activity, semistructured interviews (n = 80) and physical activity checklists (n = 130) are conducted with African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian middle school girls in six locations across the United States. Girls from all groups have similar perceptions of the benefits of physical activity, with staying in shape as the most important. Girls have similar negative perceptions of physical activity, including getting hurt, sweating, aggressive players, and embarrassment. Chores, running or jogging, exercises, and dance are common activities for girls regardless of ethnicity. Basketball, swimming, running, and dance are commonly cited favorite activities, although there are slight differences between ethnic groups. The results suggest that factors other than ethnicity contribute to girls' physical activity preferences and that distinct interventions may not be needed for each ethnic group.

Perceptions of neighborhood environments and childhood obesity: Evidence of harmful gender inequities among Portuguese children

“…Boys traditionally like contact, team sports better, such as football, and may be less influenced by the availability of infrastructure and sport facilities, the maintenance of sidewalks or even aesthetics. Girls, however, prefer non contact and recreational activities, like walking, tennis, volleyball, dancing or ballet (Darst, 2002;Grieser at al., 2006), and will be more influenced by the provision of such equipment and general aesthetics.…”

School Sport Participation Under Two School Sport Policies: Comparisons by Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Socioeconomic Status

“…There is also evidence that sports may be more appealing to girls if they can participate without the presence of boys [35,38]. Adolescent girls' reluctance to participate in co-educational sports may be the result of pressure from social norms [39], fear of injury [40], or threat of embarrassment [41]. There is also some evidence that adolescent girls perceive interscholastic team sports as important sites for intimate interpersonal relationships often sought by this age group [42].…”

Bristol Girls Dance Project: a cluster randomised controlled trial of an after-school dance programme to increase physical activity among 11- to 12-year-old girls

“…12,17,18 Dance also provides an opportunity to socialise. 19 The proportion of girls who dance remains high throughout adolescence, with 31.9% engaging at 12-13 years of age and 33.1% at 18 to 19 years of age.…”

“…19,21 Dance provides an opportunity for all of the above and can be used as a tool to help overcome barriers to girls' participation in PA. Dance is usually group-based (and is thus less likely to lead to individuals being on public display), non-competitive and takes place indoors where weather is not particularly important. 10,12,22 …”

“…Focus groups based on girls' attitudes towards PA have reported that girls are often disinclined towards PA because they do not like to appear tired or 'sweaty' in front of peers, especially males. 10,12 Girls also worry about not looking 'cool' and being teased by boys and girls about not being feminine, 9,10 leading to an increased likelihood of giving up sport. During adolescence, girls begin to form their own self-perception of sporting ability, which contributes to the decision-making process about whether or not to participate.…”