Parental and Familial Factors Influencing Physical Activity Levels in Early Adolescence: A Prospective Study

Predicting Adolescents' Leisure-Time Physical Activity Levels: A Three-Wave Prospective Test of the Integrated Model of Self-Determination Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior

A three-wave prospective study was conducted to provide a better understanding of the ability of the integrated model of self-determination theory (SDT) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict future physical activity (PA) engagement among adolescents. Nearly 2500 secondary school students from China were recruited to test the hypothesized pathway from autonomous motivation from SDT at baseline (T1) through the constructs of TPB one month later (T2) on leisure-time PA levels of secondary school students three months later (T3). The findings revealed that the structural equation models yielded excellent fit indices with χ2 = 1858.989, df = 257, CFI = 0.936, TLI = 0.926, RMSEA = 0.050 [90% CI = 0.048 to 0.052], and SRMR = 0.032. In particular, autonomous motivation at T1 was positively associated with attitude (R2 = 0.160), subjective norms (R2 = 0.160), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) (R2 = 0.173) at T2 (β = 0.395 to 0.414, p < 0.001) and subsequently associated with intention at T2 (R2 = 0.875, β = 0.112 to 0.478, p < 0.001). T2 intention was positively associated with leisure-time PA levels (R2 = 0.004) at T3. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the motivational mechanisms and social cognition processes involved in predicting adolescents' leisure-time PA levels among adolescents.

Lifestyle Behaviors of Childhood and Adolescence: Contributing Factors, Health Consequences, and Potential Interventions

In this narrative review, we summarized evidence from peer-reviewed articles, published before February 2024, that investigated lifestyle behaviors among children (≤12 years) and adolescents (13-18 years) representing different geographic descents. These behaviors included dietary patterns, screen time, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, oral hygiene, unsafe sex, and sleep duration and quality. We documented the significant impacts of parental, school, and sociodemographic factors on the adoption of numerous lifestyle behaviors in this age category. Several health consequences could be attributed to unhealthy lifestyle behaviors during childhood and adolescence. For example, poor dietary habits can lead to a higher risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease. Physical inactivity contributes to the development of musculoskeletal and psychological disorders. Excessive screen time is associated with visual acuity problems, poor sleep, and psychological and behavioral problems. Tobacco use poses a significant risk for severe respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Risky sexual behaviors are related to sexually transmitted infections and exposure to violence. Short sleep duration is associated with a lack of physical fitness and poor cognitive function. However, potential interventions, such as school-based health programs, community outreach initiatives, and national health policies and regulations, can improve lifestyle behaviors among children and adolescents.

Specificity of the Associations between Indices of Cardiovascular Health with Health Literacy and Physical Literacy; A Cross-Sectional Study in Older Adolescents

Background and Objectives: Cardiovascular health status (CVHS) is an important determinant of health, while it is theorized that health literacy (HL) and physical literacy (PL) could be directly related to CVHS. The aim of this study was to evaluate gender-specific associations between PL and HL and indices of CVHS in adolescence. Materials and Methods: The participants were 247 adolescents (177 females) from Split-Dalmatia county in Croatia who were tested on HL, PL, and CVHS (physical activity level (PAL) and lipid profile). The lipid profile included total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoproteins, non-high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and low-density lipoproteins. Gender-stratified multivariate cluster analysis (K-means clustering) was used to group participants into three homogenous groups on the basis of their HL and PL, while differences between clusters in CVHS were evidenced by analysis of the variance and consecutive post-hoc tests. Results: The lipid profile was better in girls with higher HL scores. Additionally, clusters consisting of participants with a better PL were characterized by higher PAL. We have found no evidence that HL is associated with PAL, while PL was not associated with the lipid profile. Conclusions: HL was specifically associated with direct indicators of health status (lipid profile) in girls, while PL was associated with PAL as a particular behavioral health indicator in both genders. The study highlights the necessity of including education of HL and PL in schools.

Psychosocial aspects of sports medicine in pediatric athletes: Current concepts in the 21st century

Behavioral aspects of organized sports activity for pediatric athletes are considered in a world consumed with winning at all costs. In the first part of this treatise, we deal with a number of themes faced by our children in their sports play. These concepts include the lure of sports, sports attrition, the mental health of pediatric athletes (i.e., effects of stress, anxiety, depression, suicide in athletes, ADHD and stimulants, coping with injuries, drug use, and eating disorders), violence in sports (i.e., concepts of the abused athlete including sexual abuse), dealing with supervisors (i.e., coaches, parents), peers, the talented athlete, early sports specialization and sports clubs. In the second part of this discussion, we cover ergolytic agents consumed by young athletes in attempts to win at all costs. Sports doping agents covered include anabolic steroids (anabolic-androgenic steroids or AAS), androstenedione, dehydroepiandrostenedione (DHEA), human growth hormone (hGH; also its human recombinant homologue: rhGH), clenbuterol, creatine, gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), amphetamines, caffeine and ephedrine. Also considered are blood doping that includes erythropoietin (EPO) and concepts of gene doping. In the last section of this discussion, we look at disabled pediatric athletes that include such concepts as athletes with spinal cord injuries (SCIs), myelomeningocele, cerebral palsy, wheelchair athletes, and amputee athletes; also covered are pediatric athletes with visual impairment, deafness, and those with intellectual disability including Down syndrome. In addition, concepts of autonomic dysreflexia, boosting and atlantoaxial instability are emphasized. We conclude that clinicians and society should protect our precious pediatric athletes who face many challenges in their involvement with organized sports in a world obsessed with winning. There is much we can do to help our young athletes find benefit from sports play while avoiding or blunting negative consequences of organized sport activities.

“When You Move You Have Fun”: Perceived Barriers, and Facilitators of Physical Activity From a Child's Perspective

In Northern Ireland (NI), many children do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity (PA). To reduce the prevalence of physical inactivity and associated health conditions, it is important to understand the influences on children's PA, which in turn has the potential to inform future intervention design. The purpose of this formative study was to examine the current views, barriers, facilitators, experiences, and perceptions of children in relation to PA in the classroom, school, and home environments, and to assess the acceptability of components for a school-based intervention. Write and draw tasks and semi-structured focus groups (n = 10) were conducted with 50 children aged 7–9 years (22 boys, 28 girls) from six primary schools. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically. Pen profiles were constructed from the transcripts in a deductive manner and represent key emergent themes. Results indicated that children's perception and knowledge of PA was mainly structured and sport-based, while some referred to fun, play and health. Fun, social support and outdoor activity were identified as key facilitators. Barriers included parental restrictions, lack of time and space in the different environments. The acceptability of intervention components was examined, children recognized the potential benefits of additional movement in the classroom, but opinions differed on the sit-to-stand desks. Findings contribute to a more detailed understanding of children's perceptions of context specific PA, the barriers they face, in addition to factors that support them to lead a physically active lifestyle, which may inform future PA promotion strategies.

Prospective Association of Maternal Educational Level with Child's Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Diet Quality

Evidence has identified unhealthy lifestyle behaviors as the main contributors to obesity in children, so it is essential to identify factors that could influence children’s lifestyles. The objective of the present study was to analyze the association of baseline maternal educational level with child’s physical activity, screen time, and dietary habits at follow-up. This community-based cohort study was carried out between 2012 and 2014 and included 1405 children aged 8 to 10 years old. Maternal educational level was used as an indicator of child’s socioeconomic status. Physical activity, screen time, and dietary habits were assessed by validated questionnaires. The odds of having commercially baked goods for breakfast [OR 1.47 (95% CI 1.03 to 2.10)], going more than once a week to a fast-food restaurant [OR 1.64 (95% CI 1.20 to 2.26)], and taking sweets and candys several times a day [OR 3.23 (95% CI 2.14 to 4.87) were significantly higher among children whose mothers had a lower educational level compared to their peers whose mothers had a higher level. These associations held for taking sweets and candy several times a day after additional adjustment for the corresponding dietary behavior at baseline. Maternal educational level was inversely associated (p < 0.001) with child’s screen time at follow up and being in the lowest maternal educational category was associated with an increased odds of surpassing the maximum recommended time of screen time of 120 min per day (OR (95% CI) 1.43 (1.07 to 1.90), p = 0.016). Maternal education is a predictor for unhealthy dietary habits and high screen time in children.

Effects of Physical Exercise on Prosocial Behavior of Junior High School Students

Objective: This study aims to investigate whether physical activity can promote students’ prosocial behavior by analyzing the relationship between sports participation and the prosocial behavior of junior high school students. Methods: Based on the 2014–2015 China education panel survey (CEPS), the relationship between regular athletic sports and prosocial behavior was evaluated among eighth-grade students by ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation and propensity score matching (PSM) and the relationship between OLS and PSM was evaluated by Rosenbaum’s bounds test for a robustness test; the observations were analyzed for heterogeneity to identify those who benefit more from sports. Results: The OLS results showed that sporting behavior increased prosocial behavior scores by 4%, and the PSM results showed that regular physical exercise increased students’ prosocial behavior tendencies by over 0.2 standard deviations from the mean prosocial behavior score (standardized). According to the Rosenbaum’s bounds test, the estimates were robust and reliable, and the results of the heterogeneity analysis showed that with males and students whose fathers had more than 9 years of education, the students showed more significant improvements in prosocial behavior. Conclusion: Physical activity has a significant positive effect on students’ prosocial behavior, and gender and the father’s education are significantly related to prosocial behavior.

Design and Development of an Intelligent Skipping Rope and Service System for Pupils

Regular physical activity (PA) contributes to health, growth and development in childhood and it is essential for children to achieve appropriate PA levels (PAL). However, most children around the world fail to comply with the recommended PAL requirements. Rope skipping, as a highly accessible, enjoyable, and affordable physical activity for students, has been considered a sustainable afterschool physical activity to promote physical fitness of students by educators. The booming development of smart fitness product design and the advent of exergames have brought new possibilities for physical education and rope skipping: personalized guidance, intuitive and interesting feedback and visualized exercise data analysis—there is much room for optimization. In this study, an intelligent skipping rope and its service system were studied for primary school students (aged 7–12) who started to get involved in this sport. First, user needs, product functions, and system requirement were summarized by conducting observations and user interviews. Then, a prototype of the hardware and software interface were designed based on analysis of user research. Next, a usability test of the interactive prototype was carried out and optimization was finally made based on the feedback of the usability evaluation. The final system design includes combined innovations in software and hardware with the intention to increase children’s participation in physical activity and assist them in skipping rope in the right way with proper equipment and programs.

Indices of Cardiovascular Health, Body Composition and Aerobic Endurance in Young Women; Differential Effects of Two Endurance-Based Training Modalities

Endurance training (ET) has multiple beneficial effects on cardiovascular health (CVH), but there is an evident lack of knowledge on differential effects of various types of ET on indices of CVH in women. The aim of this study was to analyse the effectiveness of two different types of ET on changes in indicators of CVH in apparently healthy adult women. The sample included 58 women (24 ± 3 years; height: 165 ± 6 cm, mass: 66.7 ± 7.2 kg, BMI: 24.3 ± 2.5 kg/m², at baseline) divided into one control non-exercising group (n = 19), and two exercising experimental groups (EE). The first EE participated in choreographed aerobic-endurance training (CAT; n = 19), while the second participated in treadmill-based endurance exercise (TEE; n = 20) during the experimental protocol (8 weeks, 24 training sessions). The testing included pre- and post-exercise protocols and measures of anthropometric/body composition indices, lipid panel, and endurance capacity. Two-way analysis of variance for repeated measurements with consecutive post hoc analysis was applied to the “group” and “measurement” variables. The main significant ANOVA effects found for measurement, and “Group x Measurement” interaction (p < 0.05) were found for all variables but body height. The EE induced positive changes in lipid panel variables, anthropometric/body-build status, and endurance capacity. However, TEE improved endurance capacity to a greater extent than CAT. The results suggest that that the optimal exercise intensity and self-chosen type of physical-activity may result in positive effects on indices of CVH, even in women of young age and good health status.

Analysis of the Relationship between Tobacco Smoking and Physical Activity in Adolescence: A Gender Specific Study

Background and Objective: Although smoking and the physical activity level (PAL) are important determinants of health status in adolescence, there is a lack of information on the relationship between smoking and PAL in early adolescence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the gender-specific relationship between smoking and PAL in 14-to-16-year-old adolescents. Materials and Methods: The sample included 650 adolescents (337 girls, 14.7 ± 0.5 years at first testing wave) from Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the first testing wave, participants were tested using structured questionnaires. Second testing was commenced after approximately 20 months (16.4 ± 0.6 years). The variables were age, gender, socioeconomic status, living environment, cigarette smoking (predictors), and PAL (criterion). Predictors were measured at the first wave, and criterion at the first-wave and second-wave. Results: For girls, smoking was negatively correlated to PAL at the first-wave (OR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.55-0.95) and at the second-wave (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.71-0.96). No significant association between smoking and PAL was found for boys. Results suggest that adolescent boys and girls do not follow the equal trajectories when it comes to relationships between smoking and PAL. Conclusions: In developing promotional public health actions related to a decrease of smoking and increase of PAL, a gender-specific approach is highly recommended. Further studies analyzing the cause-effect relationship between consumption of other types of psychoactive substances and PAL in this age group are warranted.

Familial and Parental Predictors of Physical Activity in Late Adolescence: Prospective Analysis over a Two-Year Period

Children’s health behaviors are highly influenced by their parents and family. This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the parental/familial factors associated with physical activity levels (PALs) among older adolescents. The participants were 766 adolescents, who were prospectively observed at baseline (when they were 16 years of age), at first follow-up measurement (FU1; 17 years of age), and second follow-up measurement (FU2; 18 years of age). Sociodemographic factors (age, gender, socioeconomic status, and sport participation) and parental/familial variables were evaluated at baseline. PALs (evidenced by the Physical-Activity Questionnaire-for-Adolescents) were prospectively evidenced at baseline, FU1, and FU2. Factorial analysis of variance for repeated measurements showed a significant decrease in PALs during the study course (F = 83.05, p < 0.001). Sport participation and male gender were significant predictors of PALs at baseline, FU1, and FU2. Logistic regression, controlled for sport participation and male gender, evidenced paternal education as a significant predictor of baseline PALs. Parental conflict was a significant predictor of PALs in all three testing waves. The significant influence of paternal education on the children’s PALs existed from younger adolescence until the age of 17 years. The association between parental conflict and PALs developed in older adolescence. These results should be used in the development of specific and targeted interventions aimed at the improvement of PALs and a reduction of sedentarism in youth.