Abstract
Background This study investigated the relationships between children’s friendship ties and their physical activity (PA) both before and after their transition to a new school year. Methods In 2011–2012, children in grades 5–8 attending a Canadian urban middle-school completed web-based health and friendship surveys two times before (“pre-transition”) and three times after (“post-transition”) they moved up in school grade. Cross-sectional associations between an average daily frequency of ≥60 min/day of moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA) and characteristics of children’s friendships were estimated for pre-transition (n = 191) and post-transition (n = 255) data. Sociodemographic-adjusted linear regression (β) estimated associations between a child’s MVPA and friendship characteristics. Results We found positive associations between a child’s MVPA and the average MVPA of their friends at post-transition only (β = 0.61, 95% CI 0.10 to 1.13) and the number of sent friendships at pre-transition (β = 0.03, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.05) and post-transition (β = 0.02, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.04). A statistically significant interaction between popularity and friends’ average PA at pre-transition was also found. Conclusions The PA of friends and the number of school friends that a child identified are positively associated with MVPA. The estimated associations between MVPA and aspects of children’s friendships are similar for boys and girls.
Highlights
Regular participation in physical activity may lead to increased opportunities for interaction and engagement and has positive implications for bonding and friendship formation among children [1].physical activity habits formed during childhood may be continually reinforced throughout adolescence and be carried into adulthood [2]
Evidence suggests that aspects of peer relationships are related to children’s physical activity; the number of sent friends has been linked to physical activity [5,8,9], and friends tend to engage in similar amounts of physical activity [10,11]
The two samples included a higher proportion of boys than girls, non-movers in the last year, residents of Canada for >5 years, children living with two parents in the same home, and children from medium and high affluent families
Summary
Regular participation in physical activity may lead to increased opportunities for interaction and engagement and has positive implications for bonding and friendship formation among children [1].physical activity habits formed during childhood may be continually reinforced throughout adolescence and be carried into adulthood [2]. Regular participation in physical activity may lead to increased opportunities for interaction and engagement and has positive implications for bonding and friendship formation among children [1]. There is continued interest in how the social environment influences children’s health behaviours [5,6,7]. Longitudinal studies employing a social network analysis have found that over time, friends’ activity levels become even more similar through the processes of peer influence (children emulating their friends’ behaviours) [12] and selection, whereby children may be more likely to select friends who already share similar physical activity behaviours [12]. This study investigated the relationships between children’s friendship ties and their physical activity (PA) both before and after their transition to a new school year
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
