Psychosocial Factors Associated With Physical Activity Among Low-Income Overweight or Obese Mothers with Young Children.

Purpose: Investigate the associations between psychosocial factors and physical activity.
Design: Secondary data analysis utilizing baseline data of a large-scale community-based randomized controlled lifestyle behavior intervention.
Setting: The Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children in Michigan, USA.
Subjects: Low-income overweight or obese mothers with young children (N = 740, 65% response rate).
Measures: Survey data were collected via phone interview. Predictors included self-efficacy, autonomous motivation, emotional coping, and social support. Self-reported leisure physical activity was the outcome variable. Covariates were age, race, smoking, employment, education, body mass index, and postpartum status.
Analysis: A multiple linear regression model was applied.
Results: Self-efficacy ( β = .32, 95% CI = .11, .52, P = .003) and autonomous motivation ( β = .10, 95% CI = .03, .17, P = .005) were positively associated with physical activity. However, emotional coping and social support were not associated with physical activity.
Conclusion: Future research should examine the longitudinal association of key psychosocial factors with physical activity.