Social environment or social context is a known determinant of physical activity participation. The social environment encompasses myriad constructs from interpersonal interactions with friends, family, or coworkers through neighborhood cohesion and social capital to influence policy change. Numerous measures of the social environment exist for physical activity behaviors. However, there is no clearinghouse from which to select valid measures based on construct. The purpose of this review is to document the validity and reliability of various social environment measures and conduct a psychometric meta-analysis to identify the most robust measures for adult physical activity.
