Influence of Best Friends on Children’s Athletic Competence and Physical Activity Engagement: A Longitudinal Analysis

Abstract

Pediatric obesity is a significant public health concern, associated with systemic physical health repercussions and impairing social and emotional consequences. Physical activity is an important protective factor against development of obesity, and childhood represents a critical time for forming lifelong physical activity habits. Weight status has been shown in the adult and adolescent literature to move through social systems as a “social contagion”, yet the social systems on development of physical activity and athletic competence in childhood has been less studied, especially within a longitudinal frame. This study aimed to examine the influence of perceived and self-reported best friend factors on child physical activity and athletic competence over a school year. Methods included in-school administration of questionnaires related to athletic competence and perceived best friend athletic competence, as well as objective measurement of physical activity. Findings suggested friends were similar on these constructs at Time 1, but not Time 2. The novel measurement of perceived best friend athletic competence was revealed to be a unique and influential construct. This variable was distinct from both child self-reported athletic competence and best friend self-reported athletic competence, and significantly influenced child engagement in physical activity over time. Implications for this study include the importance of measuring the child’s perception of the best friend when examining dyads in the context of physical activity.