scholarly journals Features of Physical Activity of Russian and Foreign Students: Motivators, Barriers, Self-Esteem

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 843-865
Author(s):  
Evgeni L. Nikolaev ◽  
Igor E. Poverinov

Introduction. Intense physical activity is associated with good health and wellbeing of an individual, and its manifestations in students can have gender and socio-cultural features. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of physical activity of Russian and foreign students of a regional university through the assessment of its motivators, barriers and interrelation with self-esteem indicators, the knowledge of which can be used as the basis for creating personalized preventive health promotion programs. Materials and Methods. An online survey among 423 Russian and foreign students of a regional university was conducted using the Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire using the Ashton Motivators and Barriers Scale and the modified method of Dembo – Rubinstein. The data obtained were statistically processed with the calculation of Student’s t-test, chi-square, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results. It has been revealed that two-thirds of the respondents have an optimal level of physical activity, and its motivators (the desire to improve health, physical shape, and body) and barriers (lack of time) are universal. Russian female university students surpass foreign ones in terms of the duration of physical activities, and foreign girls are inferior to foreign young men in terms of the frequency of classes. Barriers specific to Russian girls have been identified: Inappropriate weather and the belief that physical activity is not a right occupation for women. Russian young men have mentioned the lack of conditions for training as a barrier. The difference between Russian young men and foreign ones is that foreigners find positive correlation between physical activity, confidence, and physical attractiveness. Discussion and Conclusion. The results obtained may be useful for teaching personnel of university departments of physical education, medical and psychological services, and student self-government organizations. It is recommended that university prevention programs be gender-specific, culturally oriented, aimed at neutralizing the system of internal and social barriers to attending classes, and based on the student's self-esteem potential.

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 330-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee M. Ashton ◽  
Melinda J. Hutchesson ◽  
Megan E. Rollo ◽  
Philip J. Morgan ◽  
Clare E. Collins

Many Australian young men (18-25 years) fail to meet recommendations in national dietary or physical activity (PA) guidelines. However, there is a lack of understanding of their perspectives on PA and diet to inform intervention design. This study examined young men’s motivators and barriers to healthy eating and PA, along with differences by demographic and behavioral factors. A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 282 men aged 18 to 25 years in Australia. Results identified the most common motivators for healthy eating included improving health (63.5%), body image (52.3%), and increasing energy (32.1%). Motivators for PA included improving body image (44.6%), fitness (44.2%), and health (41.0%). Common barriers to healthy eating were access to unhealthy foods (61.1%), time to cook/prepare healthy foods (55.0%), and motivation to cook healthy foods (50.7%). Barriers for PA included motivation (66.3%), time (57.8%), and cost of equipment/facilities (33.3%). Significant differences ( p < .01) in motivators to healthy eating and/or PA were identified for BMI category, marital status, PA level, alcohol intake, and stress levels. Significant differences were identified for barriers to healthy eating and/or PA by BMI, PA level, stress, and fruit and vegetable intake, assessed using Pearson’s chi-square test. Findings suggest that promotion of benefits related to health, appearance/body image, increased energy and fitness, and addressing key barriers including motivation, time, financial restraints, and accessibility of unhealthy foods, could engage young men in improving lifestyle behaviors. Differences by demographic and behavioral factors suggest development of tailored programs to address diversity among young men may be required.


Author(s):  
O. Marchenko ◽  
O. Kholodova ◽  
K. Zaiets

Describes a complex of methods for the implementation of scientific research, the information of those who were researched is represented, methodology and methods of the research are described.Covers a wide range of problems, in particular a comprehensive study of motivation for both physical activity (needs, interests, self-conception, performance, leisure and factors of a healthy lifestyle), and for learning and succeeding.Objective: to study gender peculiarities and differences in self-description of physical development of schoolchildren. Material: The study involved schoolchildren of 5-11 grades (n = 638), among them: young men - 282, girls - 386. Correlation analysis of self-description of subjective indexes of physical development of schoolchildren has been conducted. Results: Using the results of the testing “Self-description of physical development”. It was found out that the correlational connection of indicators of self-description of the physical development of respondents of all ages have certain gender differences. We found that general self-esteem of boys of primary school age is affected by more indicators than of the girls. Young men associate with their own self-esteem and physical qualities: coordination and flexibility. Girls associate their health with physical activity and their own physical abilities. Conclusions: The obtained results of the scientific experiment give us the right to assert the existence of age and gender differences between the indicators of self-description of boys and girls who are engaged in and not engaged in sports. The study of self-assessment of physical boys and girls of different ages helped to draw conclusions about common and different priorities of the motivational sphere of physical culture and sports in gender and age.


Retos ◽  
2015 ◽  
pp. 46-50
Author(s):  
Francisco Ruiz-Juan ◽  
Jorge Ruiz-Risueño Abad ◽  
Ernesto De la Cruz Sánchez ◽  
María Elena García Montes

El presente estudio aborda la relación entre dos factores del estilo de vida que tienen una especial incidencia en la salud de los adultos, como son la práctica habitual de ejercicio físico y el consumo de alcohol. Se evaluaron en 3329 sujetos mayores de 15 años el consumo de alcohol y la cantidad habitual de actividad física. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo e inferencial, con una prueba de estadístico ÷2 (Chi-cuadrado de Pearson) para estimar las diferencias significativas existentes en los diferentes grupos. Los resultados muestran que los adultos estudiados tienen patrones de comportamiento similares al resto de la población española en lo que se refiere a la ingesta habitual de bebidas alcohólicas y práctica de actividad física cotidiana. Existen diferencias en el consumo habitual de alcohol en función de la cantidad actividad físico-deportiva realizada.Abstract: This study addresses the relationship between two lifestyle factors that have a particular impact on the health of young people, as are the usual practice of leisure-time physical activity and alcohol consumption. Were assessed in 3329 subjects older than 15 years the consumption of alcohol and the usual amount of physical activity. We used a Pearson Chi-square test to estimate the significant differences between groups. The results show that adults have studied patterns of behavior similar to the rest of the Spanish population in relation to the intake of alcohol and practice of physical activity daily. Differences in the consumption of alcohol depending on the quantity of leisure-time physical activity.


2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taiguara Costa ◽  
Luciana Ribeiro ◽  
Anita Neri

<p>Leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) is an important factor in promoting and maintaining adequate health status and quality of life in old age. Here we aimed to identify the prevalence and factors associated with different modalities of LTPA among 3,478 older adults (mean age: 72.96 ± 6.01 years; 67.7% female) from seven cities of different regions of Germany. We compared categorical variables (gender, age and family income) between groups using the Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test. Walking was the most commonly reported activity undertaken by participants (43.4%). Men reported performing a larger number of LTPA modalities than women. Outdoor gymnastics and water gymnastics were the most commonly cited LTPA by women. Younger age and higher income correlated with higher levels of physical activity. Our findings indicate that a physically active behavior is closely related to the living conditions, social roles and physical health of this population. Thus, public policies encouraging LTPA among older adults should take their gender, age and social status, as well as the type of activities to be offered, into consideration.</p>


Author(s):  
Wi-Young So ◽  
Alon Kalron

(1) Purpose: Conflicting information exists regarding the relationship between obesity, leisure-time physical activity (PA), and disability in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). We aimed to investigate the association between leisure-time PA and weight status in a relatively large cohort of PwMS. Furthermore, we examined this relationship according to the level of neurological disability. (2) Methods: The study included 238 PwMS (138 women) with a mean Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 2.5 (standard deviation [SD] = 1.7), mean disease duration of 6.4 (SD = 8.2) years, and mean age of 40.5 (SD = 12.9) years. Obesity was defined using two different metrics, each based on body mass index (BMI). Leisure-time PA was determined by the Godin–Shephard leisure-time PA questionnaire. Statistical analyses included multivariate logistic regression, the chi-square test, and Pearson coefficient correlations. (3) Results: The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) between leisure-time PA and BMI based on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition was 1.070 (p = 0.844) for overweight and 1.648 (p = 0.254) for obesity. The adjusted OR was 1.126 (p = 0.763) for overweight and 1.093 (p = 0.847) for obesity after adjustment for age, gender, and disability status. Chi-square analysis revealed no significant correlation between leisure-time PA and obesity (p = 0.564) according to the BMI threshold for PwMS. The unadjusted OR (95% confidence interval [CI]) between disability level and BMI based on the WHO definition was 1.674 (p = 0.220) for overweight and 0.618 (p = 0.460) for obesity. The adjusted OR was 1.130 (p = 0.787) for overweight and 0.447 (p = 0.234) for obesity after adjustment for age, gender, and leisure-time PA. Similarly, chi-square analysis revealed no significant correlation between disability level and obesity (p = 0.701) per the BMI threshold for PwMS. (4) Conclusions: No association was found between leisure-time PA and BMI in PwMS. An additional finding was the absence of any association between obesity and neurological disability level in the multiple sclerosis cohort.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gökhan Savaş

The aim of this study is to reveal university students' views of distance education delivered during the Covid-19 pandemic. This quantitative study designed as an online survey research collected data from 3861 university students from different universities in each geographical region of Turkey between April 26, 2020 and May 6, 2020. Student views of distance education are presented with descriptive analyses. Next, cross tables containing chi-square tests of the variables that affect the difficulty of focusing on distance education along with the regression analysis of the factors influencing the evaluation of the effectiveness of distance education are presented. It was found that the majority of the students have difficulty focusing on distance education, which is related to gender, frequency of physical activity at home, university type, and their majors. The factors that affect students' perceptions of the effectiveness of distance education include age, socio-economic status of their family, staying with the family during the pandemic, difficulties in focusing, frequency of physical activity, and negative psychological effects of Covid-19.


2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 1061-1070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adilson Marques ◽  
João Martins ◽  
Hugo Sarmento ◽  
Madalena Ramos ◽  
José Diniz ◽  
...  

This study aimed to identify socio-demographic correlates of leisure time physical activity among Portuguese adults. Subjects aged 31-60 years (1,076 males, 1,383 females) were categorized into two groups according to recommended physical activities ranging from ≥ 10 or < 10 MET.hours.week-1. Leisure time physical activity data was self-reported, including activities, duration of each session and frequency. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were applied to the results. Among men, having a high socioeconomic status (OR = 1.89; 95%CI: 1.30-2.76; p = 0.001) was associated with attaining the recommended level of physical activity. For women, middle education levels were associated with physical activity (OR = 1.36; 95%CI: 1.01-1.85). Moreover, middle socioeconomic status (OR = 1.45; 95%CI: 0.80-1.91; p = 0.009) was also positively associated with meeting physical activities recommendations in the unadjusted analysis. Men and women had different patterns of socio-demographic correlates. An intervention designed to improve the levels of physical activity among Portuguese adults may take these correlates into account.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Ezzatvar ◽  
J. Calatayud ◽  
L.L. Andersen ◽  
J. Casaña

Purpose: Musculoskeletal pain (MP) is common among workers, especially for health-care professionals. Paradoxically, many of those rehabilitating patients for pain—that is, physical therapists (PTs)—also have pain. Adequate levels of physical activity are recommended for cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health. However, the association between physical activity and MP among PTs remains unknown. This study aims to determine the association between moderate and vigorous leisure-time physical activity levels and MP in PTs. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Workplace. Participants: Nine hundred eighty-one PTs. Measures: Data on MP and leisure-time physical activity were collected using an online survey. Analysis: The odds for having lower level of MP as a function of physical activity were estimated using binary logistic regression controlled for various confounders. Results: Performing ≥75 min/week of vigorous leisure-time physical activity increased the odds of experiencing lower levels of neck–shoulder pain (odds ratio = 1.43, 95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.94). No association was found neither between vigorous nor between moderate leisure-time physical activity and MP in the arm-hand or back. Conclusion: Performing ≥75 min/week of vigorous leisure-time physical activity is associated with lower levels of MP in neck and shoulders among PTs. No associations were found between vigorous or moderate leisure-time physical activity and MP in arm-hand and back.


Author(s):  
Nastja Podrekar ◽  
Kaja Kastelic ◽  
Nejc Šarabon

Standing desks and physical activity breaks can counteract the negative consequences of sedentarism at school. However, the implementation of these strategies should not restrict the pedagogical process. The aim of this study was to assess teachers’ perspectives on strategies to reduce sedentary behavior (SB) of students in the classroom. An online survey was conducted, and the answers were analyzed using descriptive statistics and frequency distribution. The relationships between the variables were assessed using Spearman’s coefficient and a chi-square test. Most teachers believed that a student–furniture mismatch was present. The most common reasons given for not using standing desks were concerns about desks being uncommon and their potential to disrupt the class. However, the majority of the teachers believed it feasible to perform physical activity (PA) breaks during classes. Further intervention studies are needed to determine for which courses the use of standing desks are feasible, for what time periods standing desks should be used, and the appropriate number and layout of standing desks in classrooms.


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