Predictors of Physical Activity in Positive Deviant Adolescents

Can Physical Exercise Promote the Development of Teenagers' Non-Cognitive Ability?-Evidence from China Education Panel Survey (2014-2015)

Background: With the development of educational philosophy, physical exercise is considered to be an important factor in the development of individual cognitive abilities in adolescents. However, the effects of physical exercise on non-cognitive abilities in adolescents remain inadequate. Objective: This study examined the effect of physical exercise on non-cognitive ability and further examined the differences in this effect in different groups. Methods: Survey data on non-cognitive ability, physical exercise and covariates were collected in the China Education Panel Survey (2014−2015) from a nationally representative sample of adolescents (n = 7904) in the eighth (follow-up) grade. Results: The results show that, after controlling for the influence of other factors, physical exercise has a promoting effect on six non-cognitive abilities—social behavior (p < 0.001), communication ability (p < 0.01), perseverance (p < 0.05), school adaptation (p < 0.001), educational expectation (p < 0.01) and creative thinking (p < 0.01)—and there is no significant effect on emotional control (p > 0.05). Furthermore, the development of non-cognitive ability in physical exercise shows certain group differences. Conclusions: There are gender differences in the performance of non-cognitive ability. Girls perform better than boys in non-cognitive ability. Physical exercise is an important means to develop non-cognitive ability, which indicates that non-cognitive ability has plasticity in adolescence. Future intervention may improve the non-cognitive ability of Chinese adolescents by increasing physical exercise.

Social support from family and friends for physical activity in adolescence: analysis with structural equation modeling

Social support is an important predictor for the maintenance of physical activity in adolescence. Thus, the social-ecological approach values the impact of individuals or groups interaction with available resources in the social environment for adopting an active lifestyle. This study analyzes social support from family and friends for adolescents to practice physical activity. Guided by the Social-Ecological Theory, an observational cross-sectional structural equations modeling was applied to 2,710 Brazilians adolescents aged from 14 to 18 years. We identified that the greater the social support from friends (β = 0.30; RMSEA = 0.065; CFI = 0.953; TLI = 0.922; SRMR = 0.048) and family, the greater the adolescents physical activity (β = 0.27; RMSEA = 0.015; CFI = 0.997; TLI = 0.995; SRMR = 0.013). However, support from both sources indicated no adequate adjustment values in the same study model. Our findings suggest that adolescents who perceive social support from family members or friends practice more physical activity, confirming that social support is important for physical activity promotion.

A Multidimensional Investigation Into the Predictors of Physical Activity in Canadian Adolescents

BACKGROUND

The percentage of overweight and obese Canadian children and youth is dramatically increasing. Approaches to reducing obesity in adolescents should include the promotion of physical activity (PA) because a continued physically active lifestyle into adulthood may lower rates of chronic diseases associated with unhealthy body weight.

PURPOSE

The current study expands on existing assessments of PA to include predictors based in a multidimensional adolescent wellness and ecological model.

METHOD

Canadian adolescents (N = 603) were surveyed and the resulting data analyzed using multiple regression analysis.

FINDINGS

Overall, 57.5 and 52.9% of the unique variance in PA for females and males, respectively, were explained by the predictors. Significant predictors for females included age, recreational time, family, leadership, and social comparison (cognitive development) skills. For males, equipment at home was also associated with increased PA.

CONCLUSIONS

The finding that social comparison and leadership skills are significant predictors of PA in adolescents is new. Nurses should consider a holistic approach to promoting PA whereby these developmental dimensions are included in assessment and prioritized in providing nursing care. Additionally, individualized PA intervention strategies can then be tailored to this unique population.