A decline in physical activity during adolescence is thought to contribute significantly to the increasing prevalence of overweight adolescents. Minority youth are at particular risk for obesity and inactivity. This study of predominantly African American high school students in Baltimore, MD, will study the relationship between personal, social and environmental characteristics and students’ physical activity levels. Researchers will monitor students’ out-of-school physical activity level for 6 days along with students completing a 3 day physical activity recall survey. Investigators will collect data on the community characteristics around each student’s home. Characteristics such as safety, street layout, access to parks, and the presence of adolescent targeted commercial/retail establishments in students’ residential area will be studied. Students complete a web based survey including social and environmental perceptions of neighborhood factors related to physical activity. The investigators will also examine how community characteristics may be related to different levels of physical activity (low, moderate, and vigorous).
