Abstract
BackgroundThere is limited knowledge of physical activity (PA) patterns among high school students. High schools plays an important role as context for the students, but it is uncertain to what extent schools influence student participation in PA during leisure time. The purpose of this study is to describe patterns of PA and assess variations between schools and classes in PA, in a large cohort of Danish high school students.MethodsSelf-reported cross-sectional data came from The Danish National Youth Study, comprising a total of 70,674 students attending 119 different schools and 3213 classes. Multilevel logistic regressions were applied to evaluate the association between socio-demographic variables and patterns of PA, and to assess the impact of schools and classes on PA measures.ResultsStudents whose parents have achieved a lower level of education, older students and girls of perceived ethnic minority generally participated less in several forms of PA during leisure time. Substantial variations between schools were observed in terms of participation in PA at school during leisure time and in terms of use of active transportation to and from school. The school-level accounted for 9% (intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.09 (95% CI: 0.06–0.11)) and 8% (ICC = 0.08 (95% CI: 0.07–0.11)) of the variation for participation in PA during leisure time and active transportation.ConclusionOverall, students whose parents achieved a lower level of education, older students and girls of perceived ethnic minority represent vulnerable groups in relation to participation in several forms of PA during leisure time. The ICCs indicate that schools, in particular, have the potential to influence participation in PA at school during leisure time and active transportation to and from school. Thus, high schools should encourage and facilitate activities aimed at engaging students in PA during leisure time as well as encourage active transportation.
Highlights
There is limited knowledge of physical activity (PA) patterns among high school students
Measures of physical activity among boys and girls Not living with both parents or living in thinly populated areas were associated with higher odds for being inactive during leisure time, while having parents with a high level of education was associated with lower odds of being inactive during leisure time
The most pronounced association was observed for ethnicity, where girls who characterised themselves as Danish and other (OR = 2.17 [95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.95–2.42]), or other than Danish (OR = 3.38 [95% CI: 2.90–3.95]) had higher odds of being inactive during leisure time as compared to those who characterised themselves as Danish (Table 2)
Summary
There is limited knowledge of physical activity (PA) patterns among high school students. The burden of non-communicable diseases on populations’ health necessitates the identification and understanding of physical activity (PA) levels and trends, enabling the development and implementation of effective PA-promoting programmes. Global estimations of PA indicate that nearly a third of individuals, aged 15 years or older, do not comply with recommendations [5]. There is limited knowledge of PA patterns among young individuals (aged 15–25 years) compared to those among adults and children [5]. Focus on and knowledge of the consequences of these changes is important, as the effect on health behaviours and patterns of declining PA trajectories, which persist into adulthood, might be established
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