Pathways to outdoor recreation, physical activity, and delinquency among urban Latino adolescents.

BACKGROUND Little is known about how physical activity and various high-risk behaviors of youth are associated, particularly in disadvantaged, minority neighborhoods. PURPOSE We examine whether fear, victimization, and perceived incivilities are associated with physical activity and outdoor recreation among Latino youth and whether involvement in physical activity is associated with delinquency. METHODS Path models were assessed using data collected from school-based surveys of 390 youth across 3 schools in Chicago, Illinois. RESULTS Fear was associated with low levels of physical activity and outdoor recreation, while incivilities were associated with reduced levels of outdoor recreation but not physical activity. Outdoor recreation exhibited a positive association with delinquency. Some effects differed by gender. CONCLUSIONS The findings reinforce considering different interventions to encourage physical activity and outdoor recreation for girls versus boys, and thinking comprehensively about lowering the risk for delinquency when encouraging outdoor recreation.