Objective: To assess the association between vigorous physical activity, pa
rticipation on sport teams and in exercise programs, television watching, f
amily environment, and weight status in youth.
Design: Cross-sectional data from the Third National Health and Nutrition E
xamination Survey.
Participants: A group of 2791 youth between the ages of 8 and 16 years who
were enrolled in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
.
Main Outcome Measures: Overweight was defined using age- and sex-specific 8
5th percentile of body mass index using Center for Disease Control and Prev
ention growth charts.
Results: Both males and females who had an overweight mother and or father
were more likely to be overweight compared with youth who did not have an o
verweight parent. Females who watched 4 or more hours of television were mo
re likely to be overweight than those who watched less than 4 hours. Males
and 14- to 16-year-old females who participated in sport team and exercise
programs were less likely to be overweight than their counterparts who did
not participate. Also, females with larger families and males from families
with higher family incomes were less likely to be overweight.
Conclusions: These results suggest that family environment is associated wi
th overweight in youth and that sport and exercise program participants are
less like to be overweight and that, for females, increased television wat
ching is related to overweight.