Gender and race as predictors
Physical activity participation varies significantly by youth gender and race/ethnicity due to differences in socialization experiences and access to contextual affordances and tangible and emotional supports (and barriers) in which youth have access depending on these ascribed characteristics [In summary, two theoretical and empirical gaps in the SDT-related literature warrant the current study. First, although the correlational evidence on intrinsic motivation, autonomous extrinsic motivation, and adolescents’ MVPA have been established, there are few studies that examine changes in intrinsic motivation and autonomous extrinsic motivation resulting from participation in a social-motivational context intervention that supports adolescents’ need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and its impact on underserved adolescents’ daily MVPA change trajectory. Secondly, the effect of gender and race on at-risk adolescents’ changing daily MVPA trajectory are tested in this study given the significant disparities in PA observed among girls and Black and Hispanic youth. In summary, more studies are needed to further understand the role of self-determination motivations for increasing youth daily PA engagement, with particular attention to potential variations in these relations for youth who have been identified at greatest risk for inactivity, to inform the development of high-quality interventions within youth settings serving at-risk youth.Guided by SDT, the purpose of this study was to determine the 16-week MVPA trajectory of underserved adolescents who participated in the Connect through PLAY intervention, whether there are variations in these trajectories by gender and race, and the effects of changes in adolescent intrinsic and autonomous extrinsic motivations over the 16-week intervention on the trajectory. Specifically, the following research questions were addressed in the current study: (a) to what extent does adolescents’ daily MVPA change from baseline to endpoint during a 16-week SDT-based intervention within ASPs, and does this change vary by gender and race? (b) to what extent does change in adolescent’s self-determined motivation (intrinsic and autonomous extrinsic motivation) across the 16-week intervention influence the 16-week trajectory of their daily MVPA time?