ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on a specific type of social influence: social support. It examines the nature of social support, its measurement, and its relationship with physical activity. The chapter analyzes the individuals and groups who provide social support and other forms of social influence in exercise settings. It also examines the how the people exert social influence and how they impact others' exercise-related thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In general, two types of approaches have been used to operationally define and measure social support in physical activity contexts. The first approach is to measure the size of one's social network, and the second is to measure the amount and type of support that a person receives. Among children and youth, social support from parents and other family members has been identified as a consistently positive correlate of participation in all forms of physical activity.
