J Phys Act Health. 2021 Jun 7;18(8):929-936. doi: 10.1123/jpah.2020-0386. Print 2021 Aug 1.
The current study was the largest physical activity (PA) surveillance assessment of youth undertaken in Ireland in recent years. The purpose of this research was to assess the impact of social support, while controlling for age and screen time, on PA and sport participation, across a representative sample of Irish female youth.
A total of 3503 children (mean age: 13.54 [2.05] y) across the island of Ireland participated. Participants completed a previously validated electronic questionnaire while supervised in a classroom setting, which investigated their (1) levels of PA; (2) screen time; (3) community sport participation; and (4) social support (friend, family, and teacher) to be physically active/partake in sport.
There were significant differences, with medium and large effect sizes, for social support from friends and family across types of sports participation. Specifically, girls who participated in the most popular team sports, when compared with the most popular individual sports, reported higher social support scores for friends and family structures.
Findings from this study confirm the contributing influence of friends and family as sport and PA support networks for girls. Interventions should consider the importance of culturally relevant team sports for PA engagement in female youth.
本研究是近年来在爱尔兰进行的最大规模的青少年体力活动（PA）监测评估。本研究的目的是评估社会支持的影响，同时控制年龄和屏幕时间，对爱尔兰女性青少年代表性样本的 PA 和运动参与情况进行评估。
共有 3503 名儿童（平均年龄：13.54 [2.05] 岁）参与了全岛调查。参与者在课堂环境下监督下完成了一份先前经过验证的电子问卷，该问卷调查了他们的（1）PA 水平；（2）屏幕时间；（3）社区体育参与情况；（4）社会支持（朋友、家人和老师），以促进他们的体育活动/参与运动。
在不同类型的运动参与中，朋友和家人的社会支持存在显著差异，具有中到大的效应量。具体而言，与最受欢迎的个人运动相比，参与最受欢迎的团体运动的女孩报告了更高的朋友和家庭结构的社会支持得分。
本研究的结果证实了朋友和家人作为女孩运动和 PA 支持网络的促进作用。干预措施应考虑到文化相关的团体运动对女性青少年参与 PA 的重要性。
