Physical activities and sedentary pursuits in African American and Caucasian girls

The purposes of this study were to describe and compare the specific physical activity choices and sedentary pursuits of African American and Caucasian American girls. Participants were 1,124 African American and 1,068 Caucasian American eighth-grade students from 31 middle schools. The 3-Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR) was used to measure participation in physical activities and sedentary pursuits. The most frequently reported physical activities were walking, basketball, jogging or running, bicycling, and social dancing. Differences between groups were found in 11 physical activities and 3 sedentary pursuits. Participation rates were higher in African American girls (p < or = .001) for social dancing, basketball, watching television, and church attendance but lower in calisthenics, ballet and other dance, jogging or running, rollerblading, soccer, softball or baseball, using an exercise machine, swimming, and homework. Cultural differences of groups should be considered when planning interventions to promote physical activity.     

Children's motivation in elementary physical education: a longitudinal study

The present study examined relationships among variables drawn from achievement goal theory and the expectancy-value model of achievement choice as well as mean level changes of these variables over time in elementary physical education. Participants (N = 207) completed questionnaires over a 2-year period: once while in the second and fourth grades and again when they were in the third and fifth grades. Results indicated that achievement goals, expectancy-related beliefs, and subjective task values were related to one another and were predictive of children's intention for future participation in physical education. Children's subjective task values of physical education decreased over time. Children in Cohort 1 (across second to third grades) generally had stronger motivation for learning in physical education than children in Cohort 2 (across fourth to fifth grades). Findings suggest the importance of integrating achievement goal theory and the expectancy-value model of achievement choice in understanding student motivation.     

Measuring athlete imagery ability: the sport imagery ability questionnaire

This research aimed to develop and provide initial validation of the Sport Imagery Ability Questionnaire (SIAQ). The SIAQ assesses athletes' ease of imaging different types of imagery content. Following an extensive pilot study, 375 athletes completed a 20-item SIAQ in Study 1. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 4-factor model assessing skill, strategy, goal, and affect imagery ability. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) established this 4-factor structure in Study 2 (N = 363 athletes). In Study 3 (N = 438 athletes), additional items were added to create a fifth mastery imagery subscale that was confirmed through CFA. Study 4 (N = 220 athletes) compared the SIAQ to the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-3. Significant bivariate correlations (p < .05) confirmed the SIAQ's concurrent validity but demonstrated differences in imagery ability of different content. Overall, the SIAQ demonstrates good factorial validity, internal and temporal reliability, invariance across gender, and an ability to distinguish among athletes of different competitive levels. Findings highlight the importance of separately assessing imagery ability of different content.     

A longitudinal assessment of the links between physical activity and physical self-worth in adolescent females

Abstract

A longitudinal framework was used to examine the hypotheses of (1) whether physical activity predicts changes in physical self-worth or (2) whether physical self-worth predicts changes in physical activity in adolescent girls. Participants (n=272) completed measures of physical self-worth and participation in physical activities at three different points spanning a two-year interval. A cross-lagged panel model using structural equation modelling analyses indicated that physical self-worth predicted subsequent physical activity and physical activity in turn predicted subsequent physical self-worth across time. Findings demonstrated a reciprocal relationship between physical self-worth and physical activity during early adolescence. This study supports the use of the reciprocal effects model (REM) in gaining an understanding of the cross-lagged relationships between physical self-worth and participation in physical activities amongst adolescent girls.     

Children's frequency of participation in moderate to vigorous physical activities

Third and fourth grade boys (n = 422) and girls (n = 390) in four Texas elementary schools reported their participation in moderate to vigorous physical activities (MVPAs) over a 3-day period. Students were surveyed during class on successive days. On a subsample (n = 44), the agreement between reported and observed physical activities during physical education or recess was 86.3%. Running, walking fast, games and sports, and bicycling accounted for 70% of Total MVPAs. Of Total MVPAs reported, 47.0% for boys and 44.6% for girls were 10 min or longer in duration (LMVPA). The average number of LMVPAs per day was 1.7 for both boys and girls. Students reported significantly more occurrences of LMVPAs out of school than during school. Significant interaction between grade and gender indicated that third grade boys reported more Total MVPAs and LMVPAs than third grade girls, but fourth grade boys reported fewer Total MVPAs and LMVPAs than fourth grade girls reported fewer Total MVPAs and LMVPAs than fourth grade girls. During the 3-day reporting period, 12.3% of boys and 13.3% of girls reported no LMVPAs, and 35.6% of boys and girls reported fewer than one LMVPAs per day. While the majority of children reported obtaining at least some activity daily, a substantial proportion of children in this sample reported fewer than one LMVPA daily, indicating that many children may not be obtaining adequate amounts of physical activity.     

Fit and phat: Black college women and their relationship with physical activity,obesity and campus recreation facilities

The purpose of this paper was to recognize factors that contribute to Black female college students adoption of physically active behaviors. In addition, this paper acknowledges the prevalence of obesity in the United States for Black women, and examines the relationship between body mass index, physical activity and use of campus recreation facilities and programs. The study is approached from an intersectionality lens, utilizing a quantitative and qualitative questionnaire to capture and analyze the perceptions and voice of Black female undergraduate students (n=49) attending a predominantly White institution in the southeast United States. Recognizing the intersectionality of race, gender and class, employing the theoretical frame of Black feminist thought was appropriate to capture the ‘multiple jeopardies’ in their daily experiences. The findings revealed 75.5% of the participants were in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for physical activity; however, 77.1% utilize the campus recreation facility fewer than two days per week. Moreover, the findings suggest the sociocultural environment as the most influential factor on Black female collegiate students’ relationship with physical activity, obesity awareness and campus recreation facility usage.     

Children's Frequency of Participation in Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activities

Abstract

Third and fourth grade boys (n = 422) and girls (n = 390) in four Texas elementary schools reported their participation in moderate to vigorous physical activities (MVPAs) over a 3-day period. Students were surveyed during class on successive days. On a subsample (n = 44), the agreement between reported and observed physical activities during physical education or recess was 86.3%. Running, walking fast, games and sports, and bicycling accounted for 70% of Total MVPAs. Of Total MVPAs reported, 47.0% for boys and 44.6% for girls were 10 min or longer in duration (LMVPA). The average number of LMVPAs per day was 1.7 for both boys and girls. Students reported significantly more occurrences of LMVPAs out of school than during school. Significant interaction between grade and gender indicated that third grade boys reported more Total MVPAs and LMVPAs than third grade girls, but fourth grade boys reported fewer Total MVPAs and LMVPAs than fourth grade girls. During the 3-day reporting period, 12.3% of boys and 13.3% of girls reported no LMVPAs, and 35.6% of boys and girls reported fewer than one LMVPAs per day. While the majority of children reported obtaining at least some activity daily, a substantial proportion of children in this sample reported fewer than one LMVPA daily, indicating that many children may not be obtaining adequate amounts of physical activity.     

Factorial Validity and Invariance Testing of the Exercise Dependence Scale-Revised in Swedish and Portuguese Exercisers

The present study investigated the factorial validity and factorial invariance of the 21-item Exercise Dependence Scale-Revised using 162 Swedish and 269 Portuguese exercisers. In addition, the prevalence of exercise dependence symptoms and links to exercise behavior, gender, and age in the two samples was also studied. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that the hypothesized 7-factor model made a good fit to data in both samples. Multi-sample analyses supported partial measurement invariance across the samples; only factor loadings involving items 3 and 19 were noninvariant. The “Reduction in Other Activities” and “Lack of Control” factors were the most problematic scales in terms of average variance explained and reliability measures of weighted omega and Cronbach's alpha. In total, 9.2% of the Swedish sample and 5.2% of the Portuguese sample were classified as at risk for exercise dependence. Overall, the results support the factorial validity of the translated Exercise Dependence Scale-Revised in samples outside North-America, although more research is needed.     

Factorial Validity and Reliability of the Curricular Goals in Physical Education Questionnaire

This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of an instrument designed to measure student perceptions of curricular goals in physical education, the Curricular Goals in Physical Education Questionnaire. Participants were 879 Finnish students from grades 7 to 9 (412 girls, 467 boys; mean age 13.81). An exploratory factor analysis was performed on Sample 1 (n = 287), revealing a four-factor solution and suggesting that factor structure be cross-validated with confirmatory factor analysis in Sample 2 (n = 592). Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated an acceptable fit and supported the four-factor model. Tests for gender invariance supported configural, metric, and scalar invariance. Analyses of factor mean differences indicated that girls attributed more importance than boys to physical education’s health-related goals, social and emotional learning, and motor skill development. This study confirmed the validity of the Curricular Goals in Physical Education Questionnaire to assess student perspectives on curricular goals across gender. In order to improve factor structure the authors suggest the addition of an item measuring skill acquisition to future versions of the instrument.     

体育院校学生生涯决策自我效能的跨组分析

目的:考察《大学生生涯决策自我效能问卷》在我国体育院校大学生人群的适用性,比较该人群生涯决策自我效能水平在专业类别和年级上的差异。方法:运用上述工具对1,740名体育院校大学生施测,采用验证性因素分析及Cronbachα系数考察该工具使用的效度和信度,在检验测量恒等性基础上,进一步跨组比较分析专业类别和年级的差异,并对体育院校系毕业生、各年级学生与普通高校学生的生涯决策自我效能进行平均数差异性检验。结果:二阶因素模型的拟合指数良好,各条目的因素负载在0.44～0.69间,均达到显著性水平,各分量Cronbachα系数在0.80～0.85间。各单样本生涯决策自我效能结构形态恒等,跨母群因素恒等模型可以接受。体艺类专业与非体艺类专业大学生在生涯决策自我效能上无显著差异,大四毕业生的水平著低于其他年级学生。体育院校学生的生涯决策自我效能与当前普通高校学生无显著差异,但大四学生的水平显著低于九年前普通高校毕业生水平。结论:这一测量工具适用于测量我国体育院校大学生生涯决策自我效能的水平,专业类别并不影响体育院校系大学生的生涯决策自我效能,这进一步证明生涯决策自我效能是一个与专业类别关联不大的概念结构。与同时期其他普通高校大学生一样,体育院校系毕业生临近就业,生涯自我效能水平明显低于低年级学生,这一现状与过去、国外状况不同。     

Exploring self-perceptions and social influences as correlates of adolescent leisure-time physical activity

This study examined adolescent leisure-time physical activity correlates using the expectancy-value (EV) model. Adolescents (N = 857) completed questionnaires to assess competence and value self-perceptions, social influences, and physical activity. Direct and indirect effects of self-perceptions and parent and best friend influences on physical activity were explored using structural equation modeling. Measurement models were a good fit to the data and gender invariance was supported. The structural mediation model was a reasonable fit to the data, whereby the indirect effects of parents and peers and the direct effects of competence beliefs and values together accounted for 49% of the variance in physical activity. In this model, the pattern of relationships was similar for adolescent males and females. Findings supporting the EV model provide theoretical and practical implications for understanding adolescent physical activity.     

Development of a Questionnaire Assessing School Physical Activity Environment

This study was designed to develop the Questionnaire Assessing School Physical Activity Environment (Q--SPACE) based on student perceptions. Twenty-eight items rated on 4-point Likert scales were administered to 244 middle school students in 9 schools. Exploratory factor analysis was used to evaluate the underlying structure of the items and 2 factors were extracted: physical environment (PE) and social environment (SE). Twelve and 8 items loaded saliently on PE (e.g., gym classes available) and SE (e.g., teacher encouragement), respectively. Factor scales had alpha coefficients of .86 (PE) and .81 (SE). One-week test–retest reliabilities for the factor scales of PE and SE were .78 and .72, respectively. Differences in PE scale scores across schools and PE and SE scale scores across student school physical activity behavior (e.g., participation on school teams) provided some evidence of scale construct validity. Overall, Q–SPACE demonstrates acceptable reliability for capturing middle school students' perceptions of school physical activity environment. The factorial validity needs to be assessed with confirmatory factor analysis and invariance testing procedures.     

Factorial Invariance of the Abbreviated Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale among Senior Women in the Nurses’ Health Study Cohort

The purpose of this study was to examine the factorial invariance of the Abbreviated Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS-A) across subgroups based on demographic, health-related, behavioral, and environmental characteristics among Nurses’ Health Study participants (N = 2,919; age M = 73.0, SD = 6.9 years) living in California, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. A series of multigroup confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate increasingly restrictive hypotheses of factorial invariance. Factorial invariance was supported across age, walking limitations, and neighborhood walking. Only partial scalar invariance was supported across state residence and neighborhood population density. This evidence provides support for using the NEWS-A with older women of different ages, who have different degrees of walking limitations, and who engage in different amounts of neighborhood walking. Partial scalar invariance suggests that researchers should be cautious when using the NEWS-A to compare older adults living in different states and neighborhoods with different levels of population density.     

Pathways linking perceived athletic competence and parental support at age 9 years to girls' physical activity at age 11 years

Girls' perceived athletic competence and parental support of physical activity across the ages of 9 to 11 years were examined as predictors of girls' physical activity at age 11 years. Participants were 174 girls and their mothers and fathers who completed questionnaires when the girls were ages 9 and 11 years. Two alternative temporal pathways linking perceived competence, parental support, and physical activity were assessed using path analysis. Results provided evidence for the child elicitation pathway; higher perceived competence at the age of 9 years predicted higher parental support at age 11 years, which, in turn, predicted higher physical activity among girls. Findings highlight the importance of encouraging parents to make a special effort to support physical activity among girls who do not perceive themselves as being athletically competent.     

Reliability and Validity Evidence for Achievement Goal Models in High School Physical Education Settings

Although empirical research in academic areas provides support for both a 3-factor as well as a 4-factor achievement goal model, both models were proposed and tested with a collegiate sample. Little is known about the generalizability of either model with high school level samples. This study was designed to examine whether the 3-factor model (Mastery Goals, Performance-Approach Goals, and Performance-Avoidance Goals) or the 4-factor model (Mastery-Approach Goals, Mastery-Avoidance Goals, Performance-Approach Goals, and Performance-Avoidance Goals) is appropriate in high school physical education settings. The factorial validity of the models and internal consistency reliability were tested with confirmatory factor analysis, invariance testing, and tests of internal consistency across 2 samples. The results reveal that the items from the 4-factor achievement goal model can produce internally consistent and valid scores for high school students in physical education settings; the 4-factor model provides a better fit to the data than the 3-factor model. The multistep invariance analysis, however, reveals only metric invariance across 2 school samples.     

探究小学儿童体力活动与身体素质及骨密度的相关性

目的 探讨小学儿童体力活动与身体素质、骨密度的关联,为促进小学儿童体质健康干预策略提供理论基础.方法 通过ActiGraph GT3X+型加速度计与CM-200超声骨密度仪分别对扬州市某小学313名六年级学生进行体力活动水平与骨密度的测量,最后对小学儿童身体素质指标进行测试.结果 与结论男孩的MVPA与50m跑、1mi...     

Three-Year Study of Students’ Attitudes Toward Physical Education: Grades 4–8

Purpose: A relationship exists between attitudes toward physical education and future physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in attitude toward physical education as students progressed from upper elementary school (Grade 4) through middle school (Grade 8). Method: Three cohorts of students (Cohort 1, Grades 4–6, n = 96; Cohort 2, Grades 5–7, n = 71; and Cohort 3, Grades 6–8, n = 73) were each followed for 3 years to examine changes in attitudes toward physical education. Results: After an initial increase from Grade 4 to Grade 5, a significant decrease was observed from Grades 5 to 8 in students’ positive attitudes toward physical education, with a faster rate of change for girls than boys. Conclusion: This longitudinal study provides further insights regarding the attitudes of students as they progress from Grade 4 to Grade 8 and expands on previous findings identifying decreasing positive attitudes toward physical education as students age, particularly for girls. The results provide evidence to support targeted interventions.     

Physical activity among Spanish adolescents: relationship with their relatives' physical activity - the AVENA study

Identifying factors related to physical activity levels in young people is important for a more efficient health promotion. The aims of this study were to assess physical activity levels in a national sample of urban Spanish adolescents, and to examine the association between significant others' physical activity (father, mother, brother, sister, and close friends) and that of the adolescents. The present study comprised 2260 adolescents (1157 boys, 1103 girls) aged 13.0-18.5 years participating in the AVENA Study. Both the adolescents' physical activity and that of their relatives and close friends was assessed by questionnaire. The odds of being active were higher in boys than girls (odds ratio?=?2.79, 95% confidence interval?=?2.34-3.33) and tended to decrease across age groups in both boys and girls. Father's and older brother's physical activity was associated with boys' physical activity, while that of any significant other was associated with girls' physical activity. When both parents reported being active, boys had nearly two times higher odds of being active and girls had nearly three times higher odds of being active. The physical activity levels of Spanish adolescents are in line with those previously reported. Physical activity levels in girls are strongly related to the physical activity of any significant other, whereas physical activity levels in boys are only related to their male relatives' physical activity.     

Enrollment in Physical Education Is Associated With Overall Physical Activity in Adolescent Girls

Little is known about population-level contributions of school physical education to overall physical activity (PA) in youth. Because PA levels are lower in girls than boys, it is particularly important that the effects of PE programs in adolescent girls be understood. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the association of enrollment in physical education and overall physical activity participation in adolescent girls. A measurement protocol was administered to cross-sectional samples of 8th-, 9th-, and 12th-grade girls participating in a school-based PA intervention study (1998–2003). PA was assessed with the 3-Day Physical Activity Recall. Three-way analyses of variance were performed to compare groups formed on the basis of physical education enrollment. For each grade group of girls, those who were enrolled in physical education reported more moderate-to-vigorous PA and more vigorous PA than nonenrolled girls. When activity in physical education classes was deleted, 8th-and 9th-grade physical education enrollees were not more active than nonenrollees; however, 12th-grade physical education enrollees remained more active than nonenrollees. Girls who were enrolled in physical education were more physically active than nonenrolled girls in all three grade levels. These findings suggest that expanded enrollment in physical education may increase American adolescent girls' PA level.     

Enrollment in physical education is associated with overall physical activity in adolescent girls

Little is known about population-level contributions of school physical education to overall physical activity (PA) in youth. Because PA levels are lower in girls than boys, it is particularly important that the effects of PE programs in adolescent girls be understood. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the association of enrollment in physical education and overall physical activity participation in adolescent girls. A measurement protocol was administered to cross-sectional samples of 8th-, 9th-, and 12th-grade girls participating in a school-based PA intervention study (1998-2003). PA was assessed with the 3-Day Physical Activity Recall. Three-way analyses of variance were performed to compare groups formed on the basis of physical education enrollment. For each grade group of girls, those who were enrolled in physical education reported more moderate-to-vigorous PA and more vigorous PA than nonenrolled girls. When activity in physical education classes was deleted, 8th- and 9th-grade physical education enrollees were not more active than nonenrollees; however, 12th-grade physical education enrollees remained more active than nonenrollees. Girls who were enrolled in physical education were more physically active than nonenrolled girls in all three grade levels. These findings suggest that expanded enrollment in physical education may increase American adolescent girls' PA level.