Purpose: Childrens' health behaviors during may track to adolescent health behaviors, but longitudinal research rarely has examined this in a multicultural population in Hawaii to date. This study investigated if childhood moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC), and sedentary behavior (SB) is related to adolescent MVPA, FVC, and SB.

Methods: Three cohorts of public elementary school children (4th-6th graders) who participated in a state mandated afterschool program completed baseline (Y1) and 5-year follow-up surveys (Y5; demographics, MVPA, FVC, SB [watching television, playing video games and using internet – not for homework/work]; combined follow-up n=334; 14.76±0.87 years old; 55.1% female; 53% Asian, 19.8% Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander, 15.3% White, and 11.9% other).

Results: At Y1 participants engaged in 45.42 (SD=31.20) min/day of MVPA, consumed 6.96 (SD=4.54) servings/day of FV, and 3.85 (SD=2.85) hours/day of SB. At Y5 participants engaged in 47.22 (SD=27.04) min/day of MVPA, consumed 4.63 (SD=3.03) servings/day of FV, and 3.09 (SD=1.98) hours/day of SB. Paired-samples t-tests revealed that Y1 and Y5 PA did not differ (t(307)=-1.27, p=.20), whereas FVC and their SB significantly decreased from Y1 to Y5 (t(309)=8.42, p<.001; and t(329)=4.17, p<.001; respectively). No cohort or ethnicity differences were evidenced, although males did more PA and more SB than females (p<.05). However, there were no significant interactions of the demographics by behaviors (ps>.05).

Conclusions: Results indicate that the Fun 5 cohort maintained PA levels which on average did not meet the recommended guidelines of 60 minutes of MVPA/day. They were also below the recommended guidelines and further decreased their SBs over time. Whereas they met the FV guidelines of 5 servings/day in childhood but fell below the guidelines in adolescence. Analysis like these point to intervention priorities of increased behavioral risk factors over time.

Purpose: Considering current youth physical inactivity levels, it is essential to examine predictors of physical activity (PA) behavior. However, little is known about how PA determinants might change when looking at the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. Thus, the purpose was to investigate and compare socio-ecological predictors of PA in from adolescence to young adulthood.

Methods: Data was obtained of the German national representative Motorik-Modul Study (MoMo) waves 1 and 2 (w1: 2009-2012; w2: 2015-2017). Participants filled in validated questionnaires on PA enjoyment, physical self-concept, social support, PA environment, demographics (age, gender, community size, educational background), and moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA). Multiple regression analysis was used with SPSS 25.

Results: At w1, participants (N = 696, 55.5% female) were 11-17 years old (mean age = 15.16 [SD = 1.59], MVPA/week = 303.10 [SD = 202.69] min.) At w2, participants were 18-25 years old [mean age = 20.56 [SD = 1.66], MVPA/week = 206.10 [SD = 201.80] min.). In adolescents, the predictors explained 30% of the variance in MVPA (F [8, 394] = 22.52, p < .01). Significant predictors were gender (b = -.13), PA enjoyment (b = .19), physical self-concept (b = .21), and social support of family (b = .13) and friends (b = .12) (all p’s < .01). For young adulthood, the predictors explained 33% of the MVPA variance (F [8, 393] = 22.81; p < .01). Significant predictors in young adulthood were: age (b = -.09, p < .05), BMI (b = .13, p < .01), PA enjoyment (b = .19; p < .01), physical self-concept (b = .33; p < .01), social support of family (b = .09) and friends (b = .12; both p < .05).

Conclusion: Although there are some important demographic differences developmentally speaking from adolescence to young adulthood, the psychosocial predictors of PA remain important during this transition. Surprisingly, the environment or community size seems to have little to no direct effect during these developmental periods. Thus, social-ecological interventions in this age range should emphasize psychosocial variables.

Purpose: Several population-level interventions have been initiated in the last 20 years to address obesogenic behaviors and reduce health disparities for youth. Given these investments, the purpose of this paper is to determine the social disparities in fruits and vegetables intake, physical activity, and non-sedentary activity in adolescents in the U.S. in the last 13 years.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System for odd years between 2005 and 2017. Overall disparities ratios and characteristic-specific disparities ratios (sex, age, race/ethnicity) for meeting fruits and vegetables and physical activity recommendations, and non-sedentary activity were calculated using the Extended Gastwirth Index Method. Test of associations and linear trends for characteristic-specific contributions to overall disparities were computed.

Results: Overall and characteristic-specific disparities for obesogenic behaviors fluctuated across the years. For both physical and non-sedentary activity, there was a decrease in sex-specific and an increase in age-specific contribution to overall disparities across the years. Sex-specific contribution to overall disparities increased for fruits and vegetables across the years. Race-specific contribution to overall disparities decreased for fruits and vegetables, physical activity, and non-sedentary activity across the years.

Conclusions: These results confirm that disparities for obesogenic behaviors are still an ongoing concern, and in some instances growing, despite efforts from multiple entities to improve adolescents’ behaviors. The methodology allowed for a meaningful disparities ratio that allowed for comparison of categorical characteristics across the years. These calculations are a useful tool for identifying groups that should be targeted for population health interventions to reduce disparities.

Funding: This work was supported by the National Institute of Health [grant number 1K12HD092535].