Young Adult Social Development and Physical Activity

Introduction: Effects of the social developmental environment have been a primary consideration in research on the etiology of drug abuse and mental health, but fewer studies have examined the association of social development with behaviors that promote good physical health. This paper tests constructs hypothesized by the social development model (SDM) (Catalano & Hawkins, 1996) in young adulthood for predicting physical activity levels at age 35. The SDM is a life-course developmental theory that has demonstrated utility in identifying constructs  predicting substance use, depression, and other outcomes through adolescence to age 30. Analyses to be presented extend prediction to the physical health domain at age 35, a time when health problems like obesity and hypertension are on the rise and the protective effects of physical activity become increasingly important.

 Methods: Data are from the Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP), a longitudinal panel study originally drawn from Seattle, Washington, elementary schools. The sample includes 808 participants with high retention and is gender balanced and ethnically diverse. Analyses focus on adult waves of data from ages 21 to 35. Social developmental constructs are assessed with self-reports of past-year behavior and consider multiple life domains. Physical activity is assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Hypothesized pathways are examined using structural equation modeling.

 Results: Controlling for gender, SES, and prior exercise habits, hypothesized prosocial socialization factors (indicated by prosocial opportunities, involvement, rewards, and bonding) played a significant role in predicting active leisure activities at age 35. There was less evidence for an association of social development with physical activity in other domains, such as work-related or transportation-related physical activity.

 Conclusions: Although many studies have investigated built environment features as predictors of physical activity levels, there is less research on the role of the social environment. Findings suggest that social developmental factors may be useful to consider for prevention efforts seeking to increase physical activity levels. It is also noteworthy that these analyses suggest that the late 20s and early 30s may not be too late for interventions targeting adult social development to help promote positive health behaviors by age 35.