Peer influence on adolescents' physical activity: A dual-process perspective

Abstract

Inadequate physical activity poses significant health threats to young people. Adolescents are at a developmental stage characterized by heightened impulsivity, which may limit the explanatory power of rational behavior theories in this population. This study developed an integrated model to explain adolescents' physical activity while examining the mechanism of peer influence from a dual-process perspective. The hypothetical model integrated the Theory of Planned Behavior with constructs from social, reactive, and habit theories and was tested using a two-wave prospective correlational survey design. Participants (n = 638) completed a baseline questionnaire assessing all psychological constructs. One week later, participants reported their time spent in physical activity over the past week in a follow-up questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate model fit and predictive utility. The model explained 14.6%, 7.1%, and 18.4% of the variances in averaged overall, weekday, and weekend physical activity levels, respectively. The latent variable of automaticity, representing impulsive processing, significantly explained adolescents' physical activity, while the reflective pathway through intention was not statistically significant. In addition, physical activity was statistically significantly explained by prototype favorability and prototype similarity via the impulsive pathway. Combining strategies to modify peer influence and impulsive processing is suggested for promoting adolescents' physical activity.