Perceived Physical Activity Barriers of Mexican-Heritage Sibling Dyads

Objectives: Physical activity (PA) has been linked to many health benefits. Personal, social, and environmental factors can be barriers to PA and reduce odds of meeting PA recommendations. Sibling relationships have been shown to influence PA. This study evaluates PA barriers among siblings over 2 time periods. Methods: Eighty-seven sibling dyads from Mexican-heritage families residing in colonias along the Texas/Mexico border were recruited by promotora-researchers to complete a 21-item PA barrier survey during summer and the school year. Frequencies of responses for each barrier were calculated for older and younger siblings at both time periods. Concordance among sibling PA barriers was assessed using percent agreement and Cohen's kappa statistic (K). We used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to examine differences in factor loadings based on season. We calculated mean subscale scores and compared scores using non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results: Weather, homework, and self-consciousness were most frequently reported barriers. Older siblings reported more barriers than younger siblings during the school year. EFA results suggest different scales for summertime and school year. Conclusions: Sibling relationships may affect perceptions of barriers to PA. Perception of barriers may need to be measured differently depending on season.