DEVELOPMENT OF PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY BEHAVIORS AMONG CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Physical activity is a key component of energy balance and is promoted in children and adolescents as a lifelong positive health behavior. U nderstanding the potential behavioral determinants necessitates unders tanding influences from three fundamental areas: 1) physiologic and de velopmental factors, 2) environmental factors, and 3) psychological, s ocial, and demographic factors. The literature to date has generally i nvestigated potential predictors of physical activity in children and adolescents in each of these three general areas, although existing da ta rely largely on cross-sectional studies in which it is difficult to distinguish a determinant from a correlate. In all likelihood, aspect s of each of these three areas interact in a multidimensional way to i nfluence physical activity in youth. This article reviews evidence of potential determinants of physical activity in children and adolescent s and provides recommendations for future work.