January 1, 1999Health Psychology
Correlates of physical activity in a national sample of girls and boys in Grades 4 through 12.
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Discussion
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Implication
Randomized trial examines determinants of physical activity in young people, suggesting targeted interventions for improvement.
Key Points
- This research aims to identify correlates of physical activity among young people in Grades 4 to 12.
- Surveyed a national sample of 1,504 parents and children via telephone interviews.
- Assessed 22 potential determinants with an 11-item child physical activity index (alpha = .76).
- Conducted hierarchical multiple regressions for six age-sex subgroups.
- Percentage of variance explained for physical activity ranged from 18% for boys in Grades 4-6 to 59% for girls in Grades 10-12.
- Strong associations were found for sports time use, enjoyment of physical education, and family support across subgroups.
- Targeting these three variables could effectively promote physical activity among young people.
Cite This Study
Sallis et al. (1999) studied this question.