Abstract
According to various WHO reports in 2018, a large number of adolescents worldwide are either overweight or obese. This situation is the result of not following a healthy and balanced diet, combined with a lack of practice of physical activity. In this sense, Physical Education classes could help to solve the problem. The present study seeks to analyze the relationship between the role of the teacher in relation to the structural dimensions of the PE teaching environment and the basic psychological needs and self-motivation of adolescents as determinants of their behaviors related to eating habits and the practice of physical activity. A total of 1127 secondary school adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 participated in this study. Questionnaires were used: Perceived Autonomy Support Scale, Psychologically Controlling Teaching Scale, Basic Psychological Needs in Physical Education, Frustration of Psychological Needs in PE context, Physical Activity Class Satisfaction Questionnaire, Perceived Locus of Causality Revised, and WHO’s Global school-based student health survey. A structural equations model was elaborated to explain the causal relationships between the variables. The results showed that autonomy support positively predicted the three structural dimensions of PE classes, while, in contrast, they were negatively predicted by psychological control. The three structural dimensions positively predicted the satisfaction of psychological needs and negatively predicted the thwarting of psychological needs. Self-determined motivation was positively predicted by the satisfaction of psychological needs and negatively predicted by the thwarting of psychological needs. Finally, self-determined motivation positively predicted healthy eating habits and the practice of physical activity and negatively predicted unhealthy eating habits. Certainly, the results obtained in this study support the postulates of the self-determination theory, demonstrating the predictability of PE class context towards the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits, such as a proper diet and the regular practice of physical activity.
Highlights
According to the WHO report [1], more than 276 million adolescents (12 to 19 years old) are overweight or suffer from obesity worldwide
Taking into account the postulates of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the previously-mentioned points, the present study aims to analyze the relationship between the role of the teacher in relation to the dimensions of the structured environment of PE teaching and the basic psychological needs and self-motivation of adolescents as determining factors of behaviors related to eating habits and the practice of physical activity
The purpose of the present study was to analyze how the interpersonal style of the teacher influences the dimensions of the structured PE teaching environment and the basic psychological needs and self-motivation of adolescents as determinants of their behaviors related to eating habits and the practice of physical activity (PA)
Summary
According to the WHO report [1], more than 276 million adolescents (12 to 19 years old) are overweight or suffer from obesity worldwide. This situation can be linked to the fact that our diets include more and more high-calorie foods that are high in fat, compounded with a decrease in physical activity (PA) due to a more sedentary lifestyle. PE classes represent the ideal medium for the education and overall training of adolescents, which helps them to consolidate active lifestyle habits that will last throughout the rest of their lives. The present study intends to analyze how PE classes can help to consolidate such habits during adolescence
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