Abstract
BackgroundThe aim of this study was to examine adolescents’ perceptions of parental, teacher, and peer support for physical activity, and to examine the associations between these perceptions and physical activity behavior.MethodsThe study included 902 secondary school students, who completed the Short Scale of Youth’s Social Support Assessment (SSYSS). The level of physical activity – more specifically, moderate to vigorous physical activity – was measured using a Physical Activity Screening Measure. The associations were examined by a five-step hierarchical regression. Body mass index (BMI) was defined using the LMS method, which summarizes the distribution of BMI by age and gender in terms of three curves, L (lambda), M (mu), and S (sigma), and was based on a nationally representative sample of Polish children and adolescents.ResultsThe study indicated a positive correlation between MVPA (moderate to vigorous physical activity) and three sources of social support; however, in the regression model, this explained only part of the variance. In the hierarchical multiple regression analysis, MVPA level was predicted by five variables involvement in sports training, teachers support, parents support, gender and BMI. The direct effects for teachers and parents support were similar. This demonstrates that both teachers’ and parents’ social support exert influence on adolescent MVPA.ConclusionsThe findings from this research suggest that school-based interventions for adolescents should specifically take into consideration family, teachers, and peers as important sources of social support for general physical activity promotion that aims to increase its levels.
Highlights
The aim of this study was to examine adolescents’ perceptions of parental, teacher, and peer support for physical activity, and to examine the associations between these perceptions and physical activity behavior
The current study explores the associations between three sources of social support and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), gender, and Body mass index (BMI) status among adolescents from the province of Wielkopolska, Poland
Boys were more likely than girls to participate in physical activity (PA), and there were significant gender differences in the recorded amount of MVPA (Z = 3.011, p = 0.003, d = 0.21)
Summary
The aim of this study was to examine adolescents’ perceptions of parental, teacher, and peer support for physical activity, and to examine the associations between these perceptions and physical activity behavior. Physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of global morbidity; the prevalence of inactivity among people 15 years of age and older in the world is 31% [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) has shown that there has been an epidemic decrease in physical activity (PA) in children (and adults), leading to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) including obesity, cardiovascular. Pluta et al Archives of Public Health (2020) 78:106 between adolescent females and males, and between younger and older adolescents, may be partially explained by differences in social support provided by parents and peers. Public health researchers have recommended research on the type of social support most conducive to PA in children and adolescents. Social support is still a contentious and poorly defined concept, and it is a multi-faceted issue [8, 9]. The WHO defines social support as being both “emotional and practical support characterising good social relations” and a social determinant of health [10]
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