ABSTRACT
Hispanic/Latina students face difficulties engaging in physical activity, but schools can help by integrating activity into accrue the school day and offering sport and activity-based extracurriculars. In this study, we examined physical activity (PA) and school-related factors among adolescent Hispanic/Latina students. Participants (N = 5,539) were eighth, ninth, and eleventh grade females identifying as Hispanic/Latina on the 2016 Minnesota Student Survey. We used descriptive statistics and a generalized linear model to examine relationships between school-related variables and days of ≥ 60 minutes of PA in the past week. Many participants engaged in no physical education (44%), sports (61%), PA lessons (84%), or after-school activities (76%). More days of physical education, sport, and PA lessons associated with higher PA levels (p < .001), as did more days of non-sport activities (p ≤ .01) and feeling safer going to/from school (p ≤ .05). Significant interactions demonstrated the effect of physical education on PA was strongest for eighth grade students. Hispanic/Latina students’ PA and engagement in school activities are limited, and schools’ practices and policies should intentionally support these adolescents’ PA early and throughout their educational careers.
Acknowledgments
This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).