[Physical activity among school children].

UNLABELLED

The aim of this paper was to assess pupil's habits concerning physical activity and to identify factors related to these habits.

METHOD

The data in this analysis were taken from the baseline survey of "Healthy School Project". A total of 215 pupils from four schools completed self administered questionnaires (response rate 91.49%). The children obtained questionnaires for their parents and returned them completed the next day. A total of 201 parents completed the questionnaire (response rate 85.53%). The questionnaire covered different health related topics including physical activity. In this study we analyzed questions concerning the frequency of out school physical activity, attendance in physical education classes and attitudes towards physical activity. Data were analyzed using SPSS/PC. Gender differences and grade differences were assessed with chi square calculations. To assess the contribution of predictor variables, stepwise multiple regression analyses were computed, for the total sample and for the fifth and the eighth grades separately.

RESULTS

The majority of pupils, more than 60 percent, reported involving in leisure time physical activity a few times a week or even every day. Chi-square showed no statistical gender difference in the fifth grade in reports on leisure time physical activity, but in the eighth grade boys reported significantly more regular physical exercise. Pupils reported a high attendance in physical education classes (99.1% in the fifth and 82.4% in the eighth grades). A large majority of pupils thought that they would be involved in physical activity in the future (84.2% in the fifth and 77.4% in the eighth grades). Multiple regression analyses showed that for the present physical activity of pupils the regular parent's physical activity was the strongest predictor. When done separately for the fifth and the eighth grades multiple regressions analyses showed that only for younger children the parents' physical activity was also the predictor of theirs. Multiple regressions analyses showed that for the attitude towards future physical activity the strongest predictor was the frequency of the present physical exercise, and it was so far both the fifth and the eighth grades. For pupils in the fifth grade parents' physical activity was also the predictor but it was not for the pupils in the eighth grade.

DISCUSSION

A positive finding was that the majority of pupils reported regular physical exercise and intention to continue with physical activity in the future. In the fifth grade there was no significant difference in leisure time physical activity but in the eighth grade girls reported less leisure time physical activity, and this might be the result of traditional opinion that physical activity and physical fitness are very important for boys but not for girls [15, 16]. Multiple regression analyses also showed that physical activity was related to regular parent's physical activity for younger children, and also the parents' physical activity was the predictor of intention for involving in physical activity in the future; this means that parents' behaviour is the model for their children.