Predictors of Physical Activity in Positive Deviant Adolescents

• A wellness and ecological model was used to examine predictors of adolescent physical activity.
• Age was a significant predictor of physical activity in girls, with older girls being less active.
• An increased sense of wellness predicted PA in positive deviant girls.
• Family support was a significant predictor of PA in positive deviant girls.
• In both boys and girls, a significant predictor of PA was the use of recreational time.

PurposeThe purpose of this analysis was to examine the predictors of PA in positive deviant adolescents in comparison to average or underachieving adolescents on the same criterion.Design and MethodsA survey of Canadian adolescents aged 13–20 (N = 603), based on a multidimensional wellness model and an ecological model, provided the data for a multiple regression analysis to identify predictors of PA in positive deviant adolescents defined as having higher than average levels of PA.ResultsSignificant predictors of PA for positive deviant girls were recreational time, an increased sense of wellness, age, and family support (explaining 47.7% of variance for girls). Within the positive deviant group, older girls were less active than younger girls. For positive deviant boys, use of recreational time was the only significant predictor of PA (explaining 5.9% of the variance).ConclusionsWellness as a significant predictor of PA in positive deviant adolescent girls is a new and unique finding. The measurement of wellness in this study was a composite score of the physical, social, and psychological developmental dimensions of adolescent lives.Practice ImplicationsPediatric nurses may wish to consider a multidimensional wellness approach, family support, and recreation time as major foci of PA interventions in adolescents.