Physical activity and sport preferences of West Bohemian adolescents

Abstract

Background: Regular physical activity is the crucial factor in treating lifestyle diseases. The age of adolescence is considered as the important period of person's life for creation and further maintaining healthy lifestyle habits. We assume that the level of physical activities of young people could be influenced by the possibilities to perform the preferred sporting activities. Objective: The aim of the presented study was to estimate the total amount of performed physical activity and the structure of sport preferences in West Bohemian adolescents. Further to find out the existence of relationships between preferred sport branches and composition of weekly physical activities of girls and boys. Methods: The research was conducted at five selected secondary schools of the Pilsen region, under the total participation of 382 boys and 529 girls. The level of physical activity (PA) and sporting preferences was assessed by means of the IPAQ questionnaire and questionnaire of sports preferences, with the use of the internet system INDARES. For the statistical processing of the gained data, the Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA test, crosstabulation tables, and Spearman correlation analysis were used. Results: The results showed that the preference of fitness activities is associated with a higher level of PA in spare time of boys (p = .006), and with intensive PA of boys (p = .014) and girls (p = .044), compared to those, who do not prefer these activities. In addition, in case of boys, we have found statistically significant correlations (p = .022) between the preference of team sports and PA at school. 51.8% of boys and 37.7% of girls, who prefer fitness activities, comply with the recommendation of at least 3 × 20 minutes of intensive PA during one week (out of those, who do not prefer, only 30.5% of boys and 18.1% of girls). Individual sports (swimming, cycling, and downhill skiing) are the main physical activities preferred by girls. These activities are followed by team sports, rhythmic and dance activities. In case of boys, team sports (football, floorball, and basketball), individual sports, and fitness activities appear at top positions. Conclusions: Achieving the objectives of school physical education, with the maximum use of the preferred sporting activities, we consider essential for maintaining or improving the adolescents relation to physical education as subjects of study, as well as for the prevalence of physically active lifestyle of young people.

Keywords

• gender
• IPAQ
• Sport preferences survey
• school
• physical education