The Influence of Friends and Psychosocial Factors on Physical Activity and Screen Time in Normal and Overweight Adolescents: A Mixed-Methods Analysis:

Background:Understanding factors that influence physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior is crucial to develop interventions to improve adolescents’ health-related behaviors.Purpose:To compare the influence of friends and psychosocial factors on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and screen time (ST) between normal weight (NW) and overweight (OW) adolescents.Methods:In all, 21 OW and 21 NW adolescents wore accelerometers and completed questionnaires assessing MVPA, ST, and psychosocial variables. The MVPA and ST were assessed in nominated friends. Adolescents participated in focus groups assessing influence on activity behaviors.Results:There were no differences in MVPA; however, NW adolescents reported less ST than OW adolescents (8.9 vs 13.1 h/wk, P = .04). For OW adolescents, friends’ ST (P = .002) and psychosocial factors (P = .05) were associated with ST, while only PA self-efficacy was associated with MVPA. For NW adolescents, only friends’ MVPA (P = .04) was associated with self-rep...