Extracurricular School-Based Sports as a Stepping Stone Toward an Active Lifestyle? Differences in Physical Activity and Sports-Motivation Between Extracurricular School-Based Sports Participants and Non-Participants

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
An De Meester ◽  
Greet Cardon ◽  
Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij ◽  
Leen Haerens

Purpose:The goals were to investigate whether extracurricular school-based sports reach students not engaging in community sports and whether extracurricular school-based sports participants are more physically active and/or autonomously motivated toward sports than nonparticipants.Method:1526 students (48.0% boys; 85.9% Belgian natives; age = 15.34 ± 1.83y) completed validated questionnaires to assess sports participation, physical activity (PA) and sports-motivation. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted.Results:Only 28.7% of all students (n = 438), and 19.7% of students not engaging in community sports (n = 123), participated in extracurricular school-based sports. Participants were significantly more physically active [β=44.19, S.E.=17.34, χ2(1)=6.50, p = .01] and autonomously motivated [β=.18, S.E.=.04, χ2(1)=25.62, p < .001] than nonparticipants, even after controlling for community sports participation. Boys were more physically active and autonomously motivated than girls (p < .001).Conclusion:As participation is linked to higher PA-levels and autonomous motivation, increasing overall participation rates may contribute to children developing a more physically active lifestyle and achieving the PA guidelines.

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Magalhães ◽  
Elisabete Ramos ◽  
Maria Fátima Pina

Background:Proximity to urban green spaces (UGS) and open sports spaces (OSS) benefits health, promotes physical activity (PA) and sports practice (SP).Objective:Analyze the association between PA or SP according to distances between UGS or OSS and teenagers’ residences or schools.Methods:We evaluated 1333 (53.9% girls) teenagers (13 years old) living and studying in Porto, Portugal (EPITeen cohort). PA was classified as light or moderate/vigorous. Distances were the shortest routes from residences or schools to UGS/OSS, and classified in ≤250 m; >250 m to ≤500 m; >500 m to ≤750 m; >750 m. Chi-square test and chi-square for trends were used to compare proportions; associations were measured using logistic regression, through odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals, adjusting to BMI and parental education.Results:Regarding vicinity’ of schools, the prevalence of moderate/vigorous PA among boys, decreases as distances to OSS increases. For girls, the prevalence of sports decreases as distances to UGS increase. For boys, we found an association between moderate/vigorous PA and proximity to OSS in the vicinity of schools: considering ≤250 m as reference, the odds of moderate/vigorous PA is 0.20 (0.06–0.63) for >250 m to ≤500 m; 0.21 (0.07–0.61) for >500 m to ≤750 m and 0.19 (0.06–0.58) for >750 m.Conclusion:Vicinities of schools seem to influence teenagers to be more physically active and increase sports participation.


2007 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 635-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn Roblin

The need has never been greater to support healthy eating and physical activity in children and youth; the numbers of overweight and obese children have doubled and tripled, respectively, over the past 3 decades. Poor eating habits, including inadequate intake of vegetables, fruit, and milk, and eating too many high-calorie snacks, play a role in childhood obesity. Grain products provide the highest percentage (31%) of daily calories, followed by “other foods,” which have limited nutritional value (22% of daily calories). Snacks account for 27% of total daily calories, which is more than the calories consumed at breakfast (18%) and lunch (24%), but not dinner (31%). For Canadians older than 4 years of age, more than 41% of daily snack calories come from other foods, such as chips, chocolate bars, soft drinks, fruit drinks, sugars, syrup, preserves, fats, and oils. Habits that protect against childhood obesity include eating more vegetables and fruit, eating meals with family, and being physically active. Children’s food habits and choices are influenced by family, caregivers, friends, schools, marketing, and the media. Successful interventions for preventing childhood obesity combine family- and school-based programs, nutrition education, dietary change, physical activity, family participation, and counseling.


Author(s):  
Vera van den Berg ◽  
Eline Vos ◽  
Renate de Groot ◽  
Amika Singh ◽  
Mai Chinapaw

Schools are considered ideal venues to promote physical activity (PA) in children. However, a knowledge gap exists on how to adequately integrate PA into the school day and in particular, on the preferences of children regarding additional PA in school. Therefore, the aim of our qualitative study was to gain comprehensive insight into 10–13-year-old primary schoolchildren’s perspectives on how to increase PA in the school setting. We conducted nine focus groups (32 girls and 20 boys) with children attending the final two grades of primary school in the Netherlands. We used inductive thematic analysis to analyze the data. The results showed that children were enthusiastic about additional PA in school. Children suggested various ways to increase PA, including more time for PA in the existing curriculum, e.g., physical education (PE), recess, and occasional activities, such as field trips or sports days; school playground adaptation; improving the content of PE; and implementing short PA breaks and physically active academic lessons. Children emphasized variation and being given a voice in their PA participation as a prerequisite to keep PA enjoyable and interesting in the long term. Finally, children mentioned the role of the teacher and making efforts to accommodate all children and their different preferences as important. Children have concrete ideas, acknowledging the challenges that accompany integrating additional PA in school. We therefore recommend actively involving children in efforts to increase school-based PA and to make “additional PA in school” a shared project of teachers and students.


Sports ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuba Melekoğlu ◽  
Erdi Sezgin ◽  
Ali Işın ◽  
Ayşen Türk

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if a physically active lifestyle affects the health of former football players. Sixty former professional football players aged 40–50 years and who ended their sports career at least ten years ago were recruited for the study and grouped into two groups based on their physical activity habits after their retirement. Health and lifestyle characteristics were collected through a questionnaire to obtain information about recreational physical activity levels, diseases, family medical history, smoking, alcohol intake and dietary habits. Furthermore, lung functions, blood parameters and cardiovascular health were evaluated. Our results showed that body weight and body fat percentage were significantly higher in retired footballers who had a sedentary lifestyle compared to those who were physically active. The absolute and predicted values for forced expiratory volume in one-second values were higher in the active group. Twelve retired athletes were found to have intraventricular conduction delay. The findings suggest that former footballers who have higher levels of physical activity have advanced body composition, respiratory functions and serum lipids compared to former footballers with less active lifestyles. It is recommended that former elite athletes should maintain physically active lifestyles to sustain their health and reduce the risk of disease and disability in the later years of life.


Author(s):  
Chang-Yong Jang ◽  
Nam-Gyeong Gim ◽  
Yoonhee Kim ◽  
TaeEung Kim

This study examined the association between the obesogenic factors and the risk of suffering from weight excess in school-based state programs regarding physical activity, physical education, nutrition standards, and nutrition education in preventing childhood obesity. Data were drawn from the 1999–2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey in the State of Mississippi (N = 8862; grades 9–12). Logistic regression with year-fixed effects was performed to capture the influence of the legislation on teenage obesity, controlling for demographics and nutrition- and physical activity-related behaviors. The age-, sex-, and ethnicity-adjusted mean of the body mass index had reduced since 2007 (year 1999: 23.52; year 2001: 23.53; year 2003: 23.76; year 2007: 24.26; year 2009: 24.29; and year 2011: 23.91). The legislation was significantly associated with a decreased likelihood of being overweight (year 2007, odds ratio (OR) = 0.686; year 2009, OR = 0.739; and year 2011, OR = 0.760; all p < 0.01). Children who were more sedentary, more frequently fasted to lose weight, and were less physically active and likelier to be overweight (OR = 1.05, 1.37, and 0.97, respectively; all p < 0.05), as were African-American children (OR = 0.64; p < 0.05) and female students (OR = 1.59; p < 0.05). In conclusion, schools are among the most easily modifiable settings for preventing childhood obesity and reducing its prevalence, with the implementation of physical activity and nutritional policies.


BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. e017785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie R Filbay ◽  
Felicity L Bishop ◽  
Nicholas Peirce ◽  
Mary E Jones ◽  
Nigel K Arden

ObjectivesThe health benefits of professional sport dissipate after retirement unless an active lifestyle is adopted, yet reasons for adopting an active or inactive lifestyle after retirement from sport are poorly understood. Elite cricket is all-encompassing, requiring a high volume of activity and unique physical demands. We aimed to identify influences on physical activity behaviours in active and insufficiently active former elite cricketers and provide practical strategies for promoting physical activity after cricket retirement.Design18 audio-recorded semistructured telephone interviews were performed. An inductive thematic approach was used and coding was iterative and data-driven facilitated by NVivo software. Themes were compared between sufficiently active and insufficiently active participants.SettingAll participants formerly played professional cricket in the UK.ParticipantsParticipants were male, mean age 57±11 (range 34–77) years, participated in professional cricket for 12±7 seasons and retired on average 23±9 years previously. Ten participants (56%) were classified as sufficiently active according to the UK Physical Activity Guidelines (moderate-intensity activity ≥150 min per week or vigorous-intensity activity ≥75 min per week). Eight participants did not meet these guidelines and were classified as insufficiently active.ResultsKey physical activity influences were time constraints, habit formation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, physical activity preferences, pain/physical impairment and cricket coaching. Recommendations for optimising physical activity across the lifespan after cricket retirement included; prioritise physical activity, establish a physical activity plan prior to cricket retirement and don’t take a break from physical activity, evaluate sources of physical activity motivation and incorporate into a physical activity plan, find multiple forms of satisfying physical activity that can be adapted to accommodate fluctuations in physical capabilities across the lifespan and coach cricket.ConclusionsPhysically active and less active retired cricketers shared contrasting attributes that informed recommendations for promoting a sustainable, physically active lifestyle after retirement from professional cricket.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Sokić ◽  
Stanislava Popov ◽  
Bojana M. Dinić ◽  
Jovana Rastović

This research aimed to explore the effects of physical activity and training routine on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and the proclaimed emergency state and curfew. To measure the mental health components of psychological distress and subjective well-being, two studies were conducted on different samples: Study 1 during the beginning of curfew in Serbia (N = 678) and Study 2 during the ending phase (N = 398). The results of Study 1 showed that elite athletes as well as those with high level of physical activity experienced the lowest distress. Furthermore, effects of the changes in the training routine on distress among physically active individuals depended on the level of sports participation with elite athletes who reduced trainings showing lower anxiety compared to recreational athletes who reduced trainings as well or kept the same training routine. Thus, we could conclude that in the early stage of the pandemic, elite athletes showed better mental health and adaptability to the crisis situation. Results of Study 2 showed that although all the participants had decreased well-being during the curfew, compared to the period before the pandemic and the curfew, there were no differences in well-being between elite and recreational athletes, who had higher well-being compared to non-athletes. However, this effect held both before and during the curfew showing that physically active individuals did not additionally benefit from this decrease compared to the non-active. Furthermore, athletes who became physically inactive showed lower well-being compared to those who kept the same training routine. Thus, in the later stage of the pandemic, prolonged physical inactivity had negative effects on mental health.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa L. Errisuriz ◽  
Erin E. Dooley ◽  
Katie G. Buford ◽  
Ashleigh M. Johnson ◽  
Esbelle M. Jowers ◽  
...  

Abstract Background It is important to assess implementation of active learning interventions to maximize their impact. Quality of process, or how well one engages program participants, has been less studied than other implementation components (e.g., dose, fidelity). This cross-sectional study examined associations between teacher engagement behaviors, teacher feedback, and student physical activity outcomes during active classroom lessons.Methods This study used data from the Texas Initiatives for Children’s Activity and Nutrition (I-CAN!) randomized controlled trial. Multivariate analysis of covariance was conducted to compare student physical activity outcomes by teachers’ engagement behaviors. Bivariate correlations were conducted to examine associations between teacher feedback and student physical activity outcomes. A latent profile analysis was used to examine whether there were subsets of teachers with similar feedback profiles.Results The final analytic sample included 82 teachers (N = 100 observations). Teacher-directed changes in physical activity and/or teacher participation in physical activity demonstrated significantly higher ratings for student physical activity intensity, class participation, and how often children were active (all p < .05). Physical Activity Reinforcement and Technical Instruction feedback were positively associated with activity intensity (r=-.20, p < .05 and r = .33, p < .01, respectively). Technical Instruction feedback was positively associated with how many (r = .31, p < .01) and how often (r = .44, p < .01) students were active during lessons. Negative feedback was negatively associated with how many (r=-.20, p < .05) and how often (r=-.28, p < .01) students were active, as well as activity intensity (r=-.27, p < .01). All teachers were represented by relatively high levels of Game Instruction and Classroom Management feedback, moderate levels of Content Reinforcement and Content Instruction feedback, and low levels of Negative, Technical Instruction, and Physical Activity Reinforcement feedback. These data did not indicate the existence of multiple feedback profiles.Conclusions These findings suggest that teacher engagement and feedback to students during physically active, academic lessons can help promote student engagement in physical activity. Teachers have primary responsibility for implementing school-based interventions, and it is critical to develop strategies that increase teachers’ ability to implement them successfully. Opportunities to maximize intervention delivery, such as co-designing with teachers, should be utilized in school-based, physical activity interventions.


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