Abstract
Background: The aim of this study is to explore if perception of an activity-friendly environment is associated with more physical activity and fewer screen-based activities among adolescents. Methods: We collected self-reported data in 2014 via the Health Behavior in School-aged Children cross-sectional study from four European countries (n = 13,800, mean age = 14.4, 49.4% boys). We explored the association of perceived environment (e.g., “There are other children nearby home to go out and play with”) with physical activity and screen-based activities using a binary logistic regression model adjusted for age, gender, family affluence and country. Results: An environment perceived as activity-friendly was associated with higher odds that adolescents meet recommendations for physical activity (odds ratio (OR) for one standard deviation (SD) change = 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05–1.18) and lower odds for excessive screen-based activities (OR for 1 SD better = 0.93, 95% CI 0.88–0.98). Conclusions: Investment into an activity-friendly environment may support the promotion of active life styles in adolescence.
Highlights
A higher level of physical activity and a lower level of screen-based activities are of major importance for the development of youth and for physical, psychological and socio-emotional health [1,2,3,4].They offer numerous health benefits to adolescents [1,5]
We found a significant association between excessive screen-based activities and perceived environment (OR for 1 SD better = 0.93, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.88–0.98)
We found that a higher perception of an activity-friendly environment was significantly associated with higher odds that adolescents meet the recommendations for physical activity among the four European countries studied
Summary
A higher level of physical activity and a lower level of screen-based activities are of major importance for the development of youth and for physical, psychological and socio-emotional health [1,2,3,4]. They offer numerous health benefits to adolescents [1,5]. We explored the association of perceived environment (e.g., “There are other children nearby home to go out and play with”) with physical activity and screen-based activities using a binary logistic regression model adjusted for age, gender, family affluence and country.
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