Abstract
The main aim of the study was to determine the associations of participation in organized physical activity (OPA), and the structure of weekly physical activity (PA) with meeting the PA recommendations among Polish boys and girls. The research was conducted between 2012 and 2019 in the Silesian region of Poland among 3499 secondary school students. To determine the structure of PA (school, transportation, home, recreation, vigorous moderate, and walking), the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Form (IPAQ-LF) questionnaire was used. Adolescents participating in OPA showed significantly more PA (p < 0.001) than non-participating adolescents. The strongest associations were observed between participation in OPA and vigorous PA. The weekly recommendation of vigorous PA was met by 61% of the students with three or more lessons of OPA per week, 29% of students with one or two lessons of OPA per week, and 24% of students not participating in OPA. Therefore, boys and girls with no OPA are at greatest risk of health issues. Schools, sports clubs, and leisure institutions should increase the participation of adolescents in OPA, especially non-participants. Comprehensive school PA programs should especially include those forms of OPA that respect health weaknesses, individual talents for specific types of PA, and preferred types of PA among adolescents.
Highlights
Physical activity (PA) is the key factor influencing the health and quality of life of young people, including their school life [1]
The following research questions were formulated: What are the differences in the weekly PA structure between boys and girls, including the eight-year monitoring? What is the degree of PA achievement among boys and girls with different levels of participation in organized PA (OPA)? The main aim of this study was to determine the associations of participation in OPA, and the structure of weekly PA with meeting the PA recommendations among Polish boys and girls
Boys participating in three or more lessons of OPA per week were more likely (OR = 4.16, 95% CI = 3.02–5.75, p < 0.001) to meet the most stringent PA recommendation compared to boys not participating in OPA
Summary
Physical activity (PA) is the key factor influencing the health and quality of life of young people, including their school life [1]. The habit of regular PA instilled in youth will be effective in the later stages of their life and will reduce the likelihood of diseases, especially noncommunicable diseases [13]. The habit of regular PA in adolescents is, in addition to the family, dependent on high-quality school physical education (PE) and participation in organized PA (OPA). PE in Poland with three PE lessons per week (as opposed to the Czech Republic with two PE lessons per week) affords the bigger effects in secondary schools in terms of all-day vigorous PA (VPA) [15]. The VPA recommendation of at least 20 min three times a week is achieved by 39% of Polish (22% of Czech) boys and 35% of Polish (15% of Czech) girls
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