Abstract
Background An increase in the proportion of physically active peoples is one of the public health priorities. Particular attention should be addressed to the adolescent group with regard to their sensitivity. The purpose of our study is to determine the overall level of physical activity (PA) of urban adolescents and to evaluate its components. Methods The study included the results of a survey of 415 children aged 11–15 years from public schools in Ukraine. We have adapted the standardized questionnaire QAPACE, which allows characterizing the level of adolescent's PA by indicators: type, duration, and intensity. Results A sedentary lifestyle is typical for most Ukrainian urban adolescents. Only 30.8% of Ukrainian urban adolescents (45.4% of boys and 21.4% of girls; p < 0.001) meet the recommended level of moderate-to-vigorous PA (at least 60 minutes per day). The chances to follow the recommended moderate-to-vigorous PA are almost 5 times higher in the group of adolescents exercising at their own wish and not by parents' direction (OR = 4.96; 95% CI: 2.77–8.90; p < 0.001). Girls have a 3.0 higher chance of not adhering to recommendations for duration of PA (OR = 3.01; 95% CI: 1.95–4.63). They are 2.5 times more likely to lead a sedentary lifestyle (OR = 2.48; 95% CI: 1.54–3.98) than boys. Conclusion The obtained results are indicative of a lack of implementation of measures to increase physical activity, which requires public attention to this problem. A search for ways to improve public policy towards optimizing adolescents' PA is still an urgent goal for scholars and practitioners. PA-promoting measures should be developed taking into account the impact of family traditions, accessibility of sports facilities, leisure, advertising, and other factors. The obtained results are the initial stage for developing the program of physical inactivity prevention.
Highlights
An increase in the proportion of physically active adolescents is one of the public health priorities because physical activity (PA) is associated with promoting lifelong health and prevention of risk factors for various health conditions, including cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and mental disorders, obesity, and type 2 diabetes [1,2,3]
After the translation of the questionnaire, at the first stage of the QAPACE standardization for use in the Ukrainian population, we offered to answer the questions to a small group of adolescents aged 11–15 (n 10) in order to clarify the question wording and the relevance of some items inclusion. is survey gave us the opportunity to improve the wording in the Ukrainian language and make it more understandable
E characteristics of the physical development of the study participants by gender and age group are presented in Table 3. e obtained results correspond to the expected gender-age trends of adolescent development
Summary
An increase in the proportion of physically active adolescents is one of the public health priorities because physical activity (PA) is associated with promoting lifelong health and prevention of risk factors for various health conditions, including cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and mental disorders, obesity, and type 2 diabetes [1,2,3]. Erefore, in order to identify the reasons for the modification of adolescent PA and to develop measures for the prevention of noninfectious chronic diseases, an objective study of this group, taking into account the peculiarities of lifestyle, is necessary [8]. Along with relatively low rates of physical activity among Ukrainian adolescents, according to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, there is an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases [10]. Taking into account the current negative health trends, a further search for ways to increase physical activity in Ukrainian population is relevant. E obtained results are indicative of a lack of implementation of measures to increase physical activity, which requires public attention to this problem. PA-promoting measures should be developed taking into account the impact of family traditions, accessibility of sports facilities, leisure, advertising, and other factors. e obtained results are the initial stage for developing the program of physical inactivity prevention
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