p-value 0.064 0.641 0.029 <0.001 <0.001 0.124 2.32 2.82 3.48 3.51 2.69 3.08 2.78 3.42 3.27 2.77 2.90 3.46 2.92 2.33 3.20 3.43 2.71 4.35 2.96 3.05 1.88 2.05 2.00 1.81 2.01 2.01 2.03 1.98 1.91 2.12 1.95 1.89 2.06 2.02 1.97 1.89 1.95 1.80 2.01 2.04 p-value <0.001 0.039 0.008 <0.001 <0.001 0.664 0.60 0.92 1.21 1.16 0.94 0.96 0.93 1.02 1.01 1.00 0.71 1.05 1.08 0.73 0.96 1.23 0.67 2.25 0.98 0.86 Wilkinson et al. BMC Public Health 2012, 12:332 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/12/332 Page 6 of 11 Table 2 Means and standard deviations for sensation seeking subscales by demographic characteristics, acculturation, cigarette experimentation and physical activity in Girls (n = 543) Thrill & Adventure Seeking Mean SD Social Disinhibition Mean SD Drug & Alcohol Attitudes Mean SD Age ≤13 14 15 ≥16 Country of Birth Parental Education Mexico US < HS HS > HS > 45,000 Missing Lowest Medium Highest No Yes No Yes Parental Income ($) < 24,999 25,000 to 44,999 Language Acculturation Cigarette Experimentation Physically Active 5.08 5.85 5.77 6.24 5.57 5.72 5.41 6.20 6.17 5.41 5.48 6.56 5.69 4.94 5.88 6.29 5.45 6.88 5.57 6.10 3.35 3.19 3.12 3.25 3.01 3.30 3.16 3.61 3.04 3.02 3.44 3.15 3.13 3.04 3.31 3.17 3.20 3.11 3.10 3.30 1.11 1.54 1.73 1.58 1.46 1.55 1.46 1.60 1.72 1.72 1.19 1.65 1.62 1.31 1.56 1.69 1.20 2.07 1.56 1.39 p-value 0.004 0.890 0.809 0.015 <0.001 0.442 for age, country of birth, SES and sensation seeking, boys who reported the lowest and medium levels of acculturation were more likely to meet physical activity recommendations than girls reporting similar levels of acculturation (ORlowest acculturation = 2.38; 95% CI: 1.40–4.05; ORmedium acculturation = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.13–2.94). Higher levels of TAS were asso- ciated with higher levels of physical activity among the least acculturated group (ORlowest acculturation = 1.25; 95% CI: 1.14–1.37) only. This relationship approached significance among the most acculturated (ORhighest acculturation = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.00–1.23) group as well. Discussion The results from our analyses begin to disentangle the complex relationships between several psychosocial risk factors (i.e., gender, acculturation, and sensation seeking tendencies) and two behaviors associated with sensation seeking – a health-compromising behavior (experimenting with cigarettes), and a health-enhancing behavior (being physically active, as defined by meeting physical activity recommendations for adolescents [26]). In this sample of Mexican origin youth, aged 12–17, just less than one in four youth have experimented with cigarettes and just over one in four were physically active for at least 60 minutes on at least five days a week. In order to compare the rates of ever smoking cigarettes (i.e. experimenting) and being physically active reported by participants in our sample to national data we focus on those in high school only, among whom rates were 40.3% and 28.9% respectively (data not shown). In 2009, the overall prevalence of ever smoking cigarettes among U.S. Hispanic high school students nationwide was 51.0% and