A multilevel examination of gender differences in the association between features of the school environment and physical activity among a sample of grades 9 to 12 students in Ontario, Canada

Erin P Hobin,Paul Veugelers,Scott T Leatherdale,Joel A Dubin,Steve Manske,Susan Elliott

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-12-74

Erin P Hobin, Paul Veugelers + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-74

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Abstract

BackgroundCreating school environments that support student physical activity (PA) is a key recommendation of policy-makers to increase youth PA. Given males are more active than females at all ages, it has been suggested that investigating gender differences in the features of the environment that associate with PA may help to inform gender-focused PA interventions and reduce the gender disparity in PA. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore gender differences in the association between factors of the school environment and students' time spent in PA.MethodsAmong a sample of 10781 female and 10973 male students in grades 9 to 12 from 76 secondary schools in Ontario, Canada, student- and school-level survey PA data were collected and supplemented with GIS-derived measures of the built environment within 1-km buffers of the 76 schools.ResultsFindings from the present study revealed significant differences in the time male and female students spent in PA as well as in some of the school- and student-level factors associated with PA. Results of the gender-specific multilevel analyses indicate schools should consider providing an alternate room for PA, especially for providing flexibility activities directed at female students. Schools should also consider offering daily physical education programming to male students in senior grades and providing PA promotion initiatives targeting obese male students.ConclusionsAlthough most variation in male and female students' time spent in PA lies between students within schools, there is sufficient between-school variation to be of interest to practitioners and policy-makers. More research investigating gender differentials in environment factors associated with youth PA are warranted.

Highlights

Creating school environments that support student physical activity (PA) is a key recommendation of policy-makers to increase youth PA
Using conservative energy expenditure estimates [36], our finding suggests that a female student who participated in ≥ 3 days per week of flexibility activities and attended a school with an alternate room for PA would expend roughly 3840 kcal/school year more than a female student who participated in ≥ 3 days per week of flexibility activities and did not attend a school with an alternate room for PA, about equivalent to the caloric value in one pound of fat
Findings from the present study revealed significant differences in the time males and females spend in PA as well as in some of the school- and student-level factors associated with PA

Summary

Introduction

Creating school environments that support student physical activity (PA) is a key recommendation of policy-makers to increase youth PA. Given males are more active than females at all ages, it has been suggested that investigating gender differences in the features of the environment that associate with PA may help to inform gender-focused PA interventions and reduce the gender disparity in PA. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore gender differences in the association between factors of the school environment and students’ time spent in PA. Many studies examining student- and school-level characteristics associated with student PA have found positive relationships with school PE and PA programming [13,14,15,16]

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Conclusion