An Investigation of Youth Assets and Physical Activity and BMI Using a Longitudinal Cohort Design.

Purpose: Substantial research has demonstrated that assets (eg, family communication, school connectedness) protect youth from participation in numerous risk behaviors. However, very few studies have explored the relationship between assets and positive health behaviors. This study investigated prospective associations among assets and physical activity (PA) and body mass index (BMI).

Design: Longitudinal design with 5 waves of data collected annually over a 4-year period.

Setting: Community-based setting with participants recruited via door-to-door canvasing of homes located in stratified (by race and income) randomly selected census tracts and blocks.

Participants: Participants were 1111 youth (baseline mean age = 14.3 years [SD = 1.6]; 53% female; 40.6% white, 28.6% Hispanic, 24.4% black, 6.4% other) and their parents.

Measures: Weekly participation in PA, BMI, and 14 youth assets representing multiple levels of influence (individual, family, and community).

Analysis: Generalized linear mixed models assessed associations among the assets and PA and BMI over the 5 waves of data.

Results: There was a significant and graded relationship between assets and weekly participation in PA. For example, at the community-asset level, PA minutes were higher among youth with 2 assets ( P = .006), 3 assets ( P = .0006), and 4 to 5 assets ( P < .0001) compared to youth with 0 to 1 assets. No effects were found for BMI.

Conclusion: Asset-based health promotion programs for youth may promote positive health behaviors and prevent participation in risk behaviors.