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Physical activity among young people in the context of lifestyle |
The promotion of a healthy lifestyle is the main goal of physical education in many countries. However, very little is known about the relationship between different lifestyles and physical activity patterns among young people. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between lifestyle and physical activity among 12- and 15-year-old boys and girls in Belgium and Finland. The data came from an extensive comparative study, ‘Sporting Lifestyle, Motor Performance and Olympic Ideals of European Youth’. The subjects in this study were 1439 Belgian and 789 Finnish adolescents.
Using factor and cluster analyses, five ways of spending leisure time representing different lifestyles were formulated. Additional descriptors of lifestyle were attitude toward school and Physical Education (PE), the importance of being good academically and in sport, perceived competence, and goal orientation. The results showed that there were significant differences in physical activity between the lifestyle groups and that high physical activity was related to more than one lifestyle group. Those who were only interested in computer games and TV-watching were the most inactive, although many computer game players were also physically active. Perceived physical competence and task orientation were positively related to a physically active lifestyle. It was concluded that if the aim of physical education is to enhance an active lifestyle, then a variety of characteristics should be taken into account in teaching.
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Development of Physical Activity Behaviors Among Children and Adolescents |
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Physical activity is a key component of energy
balance and is promoted in children and adolescents as a lifelong
positive health behavior. Understanding the potential behavioral
determinants necessitates understanding influences from three
fundamental areas: 1) physiologic and developmental factors, 2)
environmental factors, and 3) psychological, social, and demographic
factors. The literature to date has generally investigated potential
predictors of physical activity in children and adolescents in each of
these three general areas, although existing data rely largely on
cross-sectional studies in which it is difficult to distinguish a
determinant from a correlate. In all likelihood, aspects of each of
these three areas interact in a multidimensional way to influence
physical activity in youth. This article reviews evidence of potential determinants of physical activity in children and adolescents and
provides recommendations for future work.
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Adolescent sport in Australia : who, when, where and what? |
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This study aimed to describe the extent, nature and correlates of sports participation in Australian adolescents, to position sport in comparison to other forms of physical activity, and to describe the socio-demographic profiles (age, sex, SEP, state of residence) of specific sports, using data from the large, random Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey conducted in 2007. Use of time, demographic, pedometer and anthropometric data were collected on a random sample of 2200 9-16 year olds. Results showed that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) constituted 29% of all energy expenditure, and sport 58% of MVPA energy expenditure. Sports participation peaked at 12-13 years at 70 min/day for boys, and 45 min/day for girls, but fell by 50% by age 16. Adolescents from the lowest income households experienced less sport (36 min/day) than adolescents from higher income households (46-49 min/day), however total minutes of MVPA did not differ. Obese adolescents experienced less sport (29 min/day) than normal weight or overweight adolescents (43-44 min/day). The most common sports were soccer, Australian Rules, dance, basketball, netball, Rugby League, tennis, cricket, hockey and swimming. The study highlights sporting 'black holes' including low socio-economic position, obese and older female adolescents.
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High school student attitudes about physical education |
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This study examined attitudes of high school students toward fitness and sports activities taught in physical education, and the perceived effectiveness of their physical education curriculum for improving their fitness and skill levels. Students from six high schools and 17 intact physical education classes agreed to participate. Data were collected using a questionnaire completed by 515 students, 159 of whom participated in focus group interviews. Results indicated student preference for a wider variety in sport and fitness activities, an increase in level of challenge in physical education classes, and an increase in student motivation for participating in activities outside of school. Student attitudes were accepting or tolerant of participation in fitness activities due to known health benefits. Most students liked physical education class that included some form of game play. In addition, they stressed the need for adding interesting activities that included active participation while having fun. Student recommendations included strategies for improving instruction and for grouping students by skill levels for appropriate challenge.
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Targeting Mr average: participation, gender equity and school sport partnerships |
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The School Sport Partnership Programme (SSPP) is one strand of the national strategy for physical education and school sport in England, the physical education and school sport Club Links Strategy (PESSCL). The SSPP aims to make links between school physical education (PE) and out of school sports participation, and has a particular remit to raise the participation levels of several identified under-represented groups, of which girls and young women are one. National evaluations of the SSPP show that it is beginning to have positive impacts on young people's activity levels by increasing the range and provision of extra curricular activities (Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED), 2003, 2004, 2005; Loughborough Partnership, 2005, 2006). This paper contributes to the developing picture of the phased implementation of the programme by providing qualitative insights into the work of one school sport partnership with a particular focus on gender equity. The paper explores the ways in which gender equity issues have been explicitly addressed within the 'official texts' of the SSPP; how these have shifted over time and how teachers are responding to and making sense of these in their daily practice. Using participation observation, interview and questionnaire data, the paper explores how the coordinators are addressing the challenge of increasing the participation of girls and young women. The paper draws on Walby's (2000) conceptualisation of different kinds of feminist praxis to highlight the limitations of the coordinators' work. Two key themes from the data and their implications are addressed: the dominance of competitive sport practices and the PE professionals' views of targeting as a strategy for increasing the participation of under-represented groups. The paper concludes that coordinators work within an equality or difference discourse with little evidence of the transformative praxis needed for the programme to be truly inclusive.
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