Sports participation outside school in total physical activity of children

This study of associations of sports participation with perceived and actual physical fitness, and total physical activity for 525 10- to 17-yr.-old boys and girls in groups of 10-11-yr. (56 boys and 64 girls), 12-13-yr. (68 boys and 68 girls), 14-15-yr. (70 boys and 71 girls), and 16-17-yr. (68 boys and 60 girls) was based on the Physical Activity Index derived from a questionnaire by Telama, Leskinen, and Young, and self-perceived endurance, strength, flexibility, and body composition. Questions about satisfaction with physical activity, participation in organized physical activity and competitions, or watching competitions were asked. Two EUROFIT tests were used, the 20-m endurance shuttle-run and sit-and-reach, plus the sum of 9 skinfold thicknesses. Children who participated in organized physical activity and in competitions had a higher Physical Activity Index. Passive watching of competitions was not related to children's physical activity or their perceived or measured motor abilities.     

Relationships between physical activity and motor skills in middle school children

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between physical activity measured as pedometer steps and performance on three motor skill tests. A secondary purpose was to determine if middle school children are meeting the recommendation for the number of daily steps. A sample (n =217) of 6th, 7th and 8th grade students participated. Each subject wore a Digi-Walker pedometer for three consecutive days. Subjects additionally recorded their pedometer steps in two 45 min.-physical education classes. There were strong significant correlations between daily steps taken by boys and girls, pedometer steps during physical education class and the AAHPERD Passing Test and the Bass Stick Balance. Similar correlations were weaker for the Side-Step Agility Test. Multivariate analysis of variance was utilized to examine variability of the three skills test by sex and year in school. Differences between students in Grades 7 and 8 on the AAHPERD Passing Test were significant. In addition, significant differences between daily pedometer steps and steps during physical education between Grades 6 and 7 were observed. Boys and girls had similar means on the AAHPERD Passing Test and Bass Stick Balance Test, but not on the Side-Step Agility Test. Scores on the three movement skills tested in this study were not strongly related to physical activity of the entire sample. Steps taken by middle school children appear not to be related to these measures of motor skills.     

Physical activity and sport involvement in French high school students

The links between morphological, biological, sociological, psychological, and environmental characteristics, the practice of organized sports, and moderate to vigorous physical activities were examined by means of a questionnaire given to 48 high-school students aged between 16 and 19 years and their continuous heart-rate monitoring. Few correlations appear between these characteristics and moderate to vigorous physical activities. Only maximal oxygen uptake is linked to this type of activity in girls. Concerning sport involvement, correlations were more numerous for girls than boys. Physical and sports activities of girls were linked with maximal oxygen uptake, sport involvement of father, support, and encouragements of practice, perception of own activity, and private environment. Among boys, physical and sport activities were only linked with sport involvement of friends and perception of own activity. Unlike boys, physical and sport activities among girls seemed more strongly linked to sociological characteristics than other ones.     

Parental bonding may moderate the relationship between parent physical activity and youth physical activity after school

ObjectivesThe processes and conditions through which parents may influence children's physical activity have not been identified. This study tested the hypothesis that bonding with parents would moderate the relationships between parental physical activity and youth physical activity.DesignA cross-sectional preliminary study.MethodsA total of 57 sixth and seventh grade students completed a survey that assessed bonding with parents and parental physical activity. Then, on 3 days, they reported their moderate and vigorous physical activity using the Previous Day Physical Activity Recall.ResultsHierarchical multiple regression analyses showed a moderation effect such that the interaction between bonding with parents and parental physical activity significantly predicted youth physical activity after controlling for their main effects.ConclusionThis preliminary study suggests that interventions targeting parents as the route to increasing physical activity may need to target both increasing parental physical activity and the parent--child bond.     

Academic performance and participation in physical activity by secondary school adolescents

This study investigated the relationship between adolescents' academic performance and participation in physical activity. 232 boys and girls from Years 8-11 (ages 13-16 years) were randomly selected, and their academic performance was assessed on previous examination scores in English, Mathematics, and Science. Participants were also asked to list all the sports based physical activities in which they normally participated during a typical week and to indicate how many times per week they took part in each activity and the duration of each. Overall, no significant correlations were found, although weak negative correlations were recorded between the amount of time (in minutes) in sport and exercise and English scores for children ages 13, 14, and 16 years. A similar association was also noted for Science scores of children 16 years old.     

Urban Latino school children's physical activity correlates and daily physical activity participation: a social cognitive approach

Guided by Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1986), this study investigated the relationships between urban Latino children's physical activity (PA) correlates and their daily PA levels. The participants were 120 Latino children recruited from an urban elementary school. They completed questionnaires assessing their PA correlates (self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, social support, and physical and social environmental factor) and their one-week PA levels were measured by accelerometers. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships between children's PA correlates and daily PA levels. Correlation analyses indicated that children's self-efficacy, social support, and physical and social environmental factor were positively related to their PA levels. Regression analyses further yielded that children's self-efficacy and social support emerged as significant contributors of their daily PA levels. However, outcome expectancy and physical and social environmental factor failed to predict PA levels. The findings were discussed in regard to the implications for practice and areas for future research.     

Memories of school recess predict physical activity enjoyment and social-emotional well-being in adults

School recess can provide social, emotional, and physical benefits for children. Yet, not all children experience recess the same, as inequity in access to recess and variability in the quality of recess exist. Researchers have yet to understand the long-term implications of recess experiences on adult well-being and physical activity behaviors. The purpose of this study was to explore the inter-relationships between memories of recess, physical activity, and social-emotional well-being. A total of 514 adults between the ages of 19 and 79 (M = 45.56; SD = 15.62) were surveyed via Prolific, a web-based research platform. Participants were asked about their memories of recess enjoyment and recess exclusion, and current physical activity levels, physical activity enjoyment, social isolation, social role satisfaction, and sense of meaning and purpose. Structural equation modeling analysis showed that memories of recess enjoyment were associated with meaning and purpose (β = 0.138, p < .05) and PA enjoyment (β = 0.183, p < .05). Furthermore, retrospective recess exclusion predicted current social isolation (β = 0.266, p < .05) and was negatively associated with retrospective recess enjoyment (β = −0.379, p < .05). Findings highlight the importance of childhood recess experiences and its impact on current physical activity behaviors, social isolation, and meaning and purpose later in life. Consistent with other research, early positive physical activity experiences, in the form of recess, appear to provide more assurances that one will engage in healthier lifestyle behaviors and more favorable psycho-socio-emotional profiles in adulthood.     

Behavioral assessment of physical activity in obese preschool children

We measured changes in physical activity in 2 obese preschool children when a package intervention was evaluated in a reversal design. Physical activity was measured via direct observation and pedometers. Although the intervention produced only modest increases in activity, the results provide preliminary concurrent validation for the dependent measures used, in that the two measures covaried and a similar degree of change was observed with each across baseline and intervention phases.     

Injuries due to school sports accidents in 4 to 13-yr.-old children

505 kindergarten and primary school children from 4 to 13 years of age were treated for school sports injuries during the period 1990-1997. The incidence of injuries increased statistically significantly from .5 per 1,000 children 4- to 5-yr.-old to 4.8 injured children per 1,000 in 12- to 13-yr.-old. 59% of the injuries involved upper extremities; 35% of these were in the wrist region. 33.5% of the injuries were of the lower extremities, with 50% being of the feet and 36.4% of the ankle. Accidental falls were the main situation (53%) in which school sport accidents occurred. Nearly 65% of these accidental falls occurred at the ground level; the remaining accidents (35%) occurred when the child was working on an apparatus, e.g., parallel bars, balancing beam, side horse. The 4- to 5-yr.-old children were the most vulnerable to accidental fall (67%). A statistically significant increase in injuries in ball sports was observed from 4- to 5-yr.-olds (0%) to the 12- to 13-yr.-olds (28%).     

Relations of perceived physical self-efficacy and motivational responses toward physical activity by urban high school students

To be effective in promoting physical activity among urban, minority adolescents, the factors and psychological processes that motivate them to engage in and maintain a physically active lifestyle should be examined. The relation of physical self-efficacy and motivational responses toward physical activity in 46 urban minority adolescents was explored. As hypothesized, there were significant positive relationships among Percieved Physical Ability, Physical Self-presentation Confidence, Effort, and Enjoyment (coefficients ranged from .29 to .80), suggesting that participants who had higher perceived physical ability were likely to report higher perceptions of self-presentation, more enjoyment of physical activity, and harder work in physical activity. These results indicate specific relationships among Effort, Enjoyment, Perceived Physical Ability, and Physical Self-presentation Confidence in this sample. Physical self-efficacy appears to be a stronger predictor of motivational responses in physical activity. Practical implications for physical educators include incorporating strategies known to develop self-efficacy, such as mastery experiences involving successive trials of increasing difficulty, self-observation, external feedback, peer modeling, and verbal persuasion.     

Relationship of perceived physical self-concept and physical activity level and sex among young children

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between level of physical activity and perceived physical self-concept of young children. The sample comprised 364 children from Slovenia, aged 6.4 yr. (SD = 0.3), of which 179 were boys and 185 girls. Parents and teachers reported children's physical activity using the Harro questionnaire. We divided children into Low and High Activity groups based on their mean scores. The children completed Stein's Children's Physical Self-concept Scale, which assesses Global Physical Self-concept and the subdomains of Physical Performance, Physical Appearance, and Weight Control behavior. Two-way analysis of variance with both sex and physical activity levels, and their interaction were used to examine differences in Physical Self-concept. There were significant differences between the Low and High Activity groups on scores for global Physical Self-concept Scale, Physical Performance, and Weight Control, on which children from the High Activity group scored higher; whereas on the subscale Physical Appearance, there were no significant differences. There were no significant sex differences on the Physical Self-concept Scale. The most important conclusion of this research indicates the theoretical assumptions that Physical Activity and perceived Physical Self-concept are related. Direction of the relationship remains unclarified.     

Spatial knowledge of a real school environment acquired from virtual or physical models by able-bodied children and children with physical disabilities

In Experiment 1, 2 groups of able-bodied children were exposed to both a complex single-tier virtual environment (VE) and a physical model of a different environment. For 1 group, the VE accurately modeled a real school, and for the other group the physical model did so. In transfer testing in the real school, orientation accuracy was greater in the group exposed to the VE of the real school. In Experiment 2, children with physical disabilities explored the VE model of the real school and were tested as in the 1st experiment. Measures of orientation accuracy and map-placing were significantly better in this group than in the guessing adult control group. The results illustrate the potential for VEs as useful spatial training media.     

Fitness, attitude toward physical education, and self-concept of elementary school children

Elementary school children scoring in the highest and lowest 26% or 27% of their classes on the Texas Physical Fitness test were compared for attitude toward physical education and self-concept. Data were collected on the Children's Attitude Inventory Toward Physical Education, a Game of Pairs for Preferences Among School Subjects, and the Children's Self-concept Scale. Analysis of variance indicated significant differences on all tests between boys high in fitness, girls high in fitness, boys low in fitness, and girls low in fitness. Subsequent Scheffé tests indicated that highly fit girls had significantly higher attitude and self-concept scores than boys low in fitness. Highly fit boys had higher self-concepts than boys low in fitness. No other group comparisons were significant. Pearson correlations indicated nonsignificant associations between fitness and attitude and self-concept for the four groups.     

Effects of student pairing and public review on physical activity during school recess

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of student pairing and feedback during recess on children's step counts. During baseline, participants wore a sealed pedometer during recess. During intervention, we paired participants with higher step counts with participants with lower step counts. We encouraged teams to compete for the highest step count each day and provided feedback on their performance during each recess session. Results showed a large mean increase in step count from baseline to intervention. These results suggest that children's steps during recess can be increased with a simple and cost‐effective intervention.     

The interplay of actual and perceived physical fitness in children: Effects on motivation and physical activity

From a sport and exercise psychology perspective, both the actual and perceived physical fitness become important for motivation towards physical activity and persistent physical activity in children no later than middle childhood (Stodden et al., 2008). To date, the effects of actual and perceived physical fitness have been investigated from a variable-centered approach (Jekauc et al., 2017). However, within this approach, the accuracy of the perceived physical fitness remains unconsidered. As actual and perceived physical fitness levels can be divergent, especially in children due to greater egocentricity and hence less comparison processes (Harter, 2006), also the accuracy of perceived physical fitness should be considered.In total, 462 children from 3rd and, approximately nine months later, from 4th grade participated in this study (M_age = 8.79 years). Third-grade students were assessed on their actual physical fitness, perceived physical fitness, and physical activity. In fourth grade, students were asked to fill out questionnaires that assess motivational regulations and physical activity. Polynomial regressions with response surface analyses were conducted to analyze main effects and accuracy effects of actual and perceived physical fitness on motivation and physical activity. Analyses revealed that children with higher actual and perceived physical fitness levels show greater autonomous motivation, higher current physical activity levels and higher physical activity levels nine months later. In addition, children who perceive their physical fitness more accurately show more current physical activity. Results indicate that the interplay between actual and perceived physical fitness does not only have an effect on physical activity but also on autonomous motivation, which is a predictor for long-term physical activity. Therefore, intervention should focus on the promotion of actual and perceived physical fitness. In addition, the ability to accurately assess fitness should be promoted in this age group.     

The effects of exergaming on physical activity among inactive children in a physical education classroom

Childhood obesity, which is due in part to lack of physical activity, is a serious concern that requires the attention of the behavioral community. Although excessive video game play has been noted in the literature as a contributor to childhood obesity, newer video gaming technology, called exergaming, has been designed to capitalize on the reinforcing effects of video games to increase physical activity in children. This study evaluated the effects of exergaming on physical activity among 4 inactive children in a physical education (PE) classroom. Results showed that exergaming produced substantially more minutes of physical activity and more minutes of opportunity to engage in physical activity than did the standard PE program. In addition, exergaming was socially acceptable to both the students and the PE teacher. Exergaming appears to hold promise as a method for increasing physical activity among inactive children and might be a possible intervention for childhood obesity.