Editorial Type:
Article Category: Research Article
 | 
Online Publication Date: 22 Aug 2025

Family-Level Factors That Influence Physical Activity among Hispanic Adolescents at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

BS,
BA, and
PhD
Page Range: 121 – 128
DOI: 10.18865/EthnDis-2024-21
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Objective

Family-based health promotion and disease prevention strategies are recommended as best practice; however, there is limited knowledge regarding the family-level factors that influence modifiable behavior risk factors like physical activity (PA) among Latinx adolescents. This study addressed this knowledge gap by using qualitative methods to identify perceptions of family-level factors that influence PA among Hispanic youth.

Methods

We conducted semistructured, open-ended interviews with 20 Latinx adolescents (14-16 years) with obesity (body mass index ≥95th percentile) to identify their perceptions of how family influences PA. Content analysis was used to identify emergent themes, which were then compared across demographic factors, other identified themes, and participant-identified personal values.

Results

Fourteen adolescents (70%) perceived family factors that facilitated PA. They described family support received as doing PA together, modeling PA, and providing motivational or financial support. Ten adolescents (50%) viewed family as a barrier, more often citing active barriers such as family responsibilities. Across demographics, youth with divorced parents and parents who reported more working hours (≥40 hours per week) perceived their family as less supportive of PA. Additionally, perceptions of family support shaped self-identified health values (eg, being healthy and fit).

Conclusions

Family-based obesity prevention strategies should leverage factors that facilitate PA and should be designed to consider factors that serve as barriers to PA among this age group and population. Given that there is little guidance on the development and implementation of family-based obesity-prevention strategies, findings from this study will inform the development of future family-based prevention opportunities among high-risk youth and families.

Keywords: Latinx; Adolescents; Social support; Family-based interventions; Health disparities
Figure 1.
Figure 1.

Thematic network

Figure 2.
Figure 2.

Associations between adolescent perceptions and family as an encouragement or barrier to physical activity (PA). LR, likelihood ratio

Contributor Notes

Address correspondence to Erica G. Soltero, PhD; USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX. soltero@bcm.edu

Authors Mihail and Hernandez contributed equally.

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