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Assessing the motivational responses of 328 secondary school students, this study examined a model of student motivation in physical education that incorporated constructs from achievement goal and self-determination theories. The focus was on the prediction of students' intention to partake in physical activity outside of physical education. Structural equation modeling analysis supported a model in which an autonomy-supportive climate, and to a lesser extent perceptions of a mastery climate, positively impacted hypothesized mediating variables (i.e., autonomy, competence, relatedness) to foster self-determined motivation. Self-determined motivation was found to positively predict, whereas amotivation was a negative predictor of leisure-time physical activity intentions.

Background: Accumulating sufficient moderate to vigorous physical activity is recognized as a key determinant of physical, physiological, developmental, mental, cognitive, and social health among children and youth (aged 5–17 y). The Global Matrix 3.0 of Report Card grades on physical activity was developed to achieve a better understanding of the global variation in child and youth physical activity and associated supports. Methods: Work groups from 49 countries followed harmonized procedures to develop their Report Cards by grading 10 common indicators using the best available data. The participating countries were divided into 3 categories using the United Nations’ human development index (HDI) classification (low or medium, high, and very high HDI). Results: A total of 490 grades, including 369 letter grades and 121 incomplete grades, were assigned by the 49 work groups. Overall, an average grade of “C-,” “D+,” and “C-” was obtained for the low and medium HDI countries, high HDI countries, and very high HDI countries, respectively. Conclusions: The present study provides rich new evidence showing that the situation regarding the physical activity of children and youth is a concern worldwide. Strategic public investments to implement effective interventions to increase physical activity opportunities are needed.

BackgroundThe primary aim of the International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment (ISCOLE) was to determine the relationships between lifestyle behaviours and obesity in a multi-national study of children, and to investigate the influence of higher-order characteristics such as behavioural settings, and the physical, social and policy environments, on the observed relationships within and between countries.Methods/designThe targeted sample included 6000 10-year old children from 12 countries in five major geographic regions of the world (Europe, Africa, the Americas, South-East Asia, and the Western Pacific). The protocol included procedures to collect data at the individual level (lifestyle, diet and physical activity questionnaires, accelerometry), family and neighborhood level (parental questionnaires), and the school environment (school administrator questionnaire and school audit tool). A standard study protocol was developed for implementation in all regions of the world. A rigorous system of training and certification of study personnel was developed and implemented, including web-based training modules and regional in-person training meetings.DiscussionThe results of this study will provide a robust examination of the correlates of adiposity and obesity in children, focusing on both sides of the energy balance equation. The results will also provide important new information that will inform the development of lifestyle, environmental, and policy interventions to address and prevent childhood obesity that may be culturally adapted for implementation around the world. ISCOLE represents a multi-national collaboration among all world regions, and represents a global effort to increase research understanding, capacity and infrastructure in childhood obesity.

It is just over a decade since Vallerand et al. (J Personal Soc Psychol 85:756-767, 2003) introduced the dualistic model of passion. In this study, we conduct a metaanalytical review of relationships between Vallerand et al's two passions (viz. harmonious and obsessive), and intrapersonal outcomes, and test the moderating role of age, gender, domain, and culture. A systematic literature search yielded 94 studies, within which 27 criterion variables were reported. These criterion variables derived from four research areas within the intrapersonal sphere: (a) well-/ill-being, (b) motivation factors, (c) cognitive outcomes and, (d) behaviour and performance. From these areas we retrieved 1308 independent effect sizes and analysed them using random-effects models. Results showed harmonious passion positively corresponded with positive intrapersonal outcomes (e.g., positive affect, flow, performance). Obsessive passion, conversely, showed positive associations with positive and negative intrapersonal outcomes (e.g., negative affect, rumination, vitality). Correlations were largely invariant across age and gender, but certain relationships were moderated by domain and culture. Implications are discussed.

BackgroundThe Canadian 24-h movement guidelines were developed with the hope of improving health and future health outcomes in children and youth. The purpose of this study was to evaluate adherence to the 3 recommendations most strongly associated with health outcomes in new 24-h movement guidelines and their relationship with adiposity (obesity and body mass index z-score) across countries participating in the International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment (ISCOLE).MethodsCross-sectional results were based on 6128 children aged 9–11 years from the 12 countries of ISCOLE. Sleep duration and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were assessed using accelerometry. Screen time was measured through self-report. Body weight and height were measured. Body mass index (BMI, kg · m−2) was calculated, and BMI z-scores were computed using age- and sex-specific reference data from the World Health Organization. Obesity was defined as a BMI z-score > +2 SD. Meeting the overall 24-h movement guidelines was defined as: 9 to 11 h/night of sleep, ≤2 h/day of screen time, and at least 60 min/day of MVPA. Age, sex, highest parental education and unhealthy diet pattern score were included as covariates in statistical models. Associations between meeting vs. not meeting each single recommendation (and combinations) with obesity were assessed with odds ratios calculated using generalized linear mixed models. A linear mixed model was used to examine the differences in BMI z-scores between children meeting vs. not meeting the different combinations of recommendations.ResultsThe global prevalence of children meeting the overall recommendations (all three behaviors) was 7%, with children from Australia and Canada showing the highest adherence (15%). Children meeting the three recommendations had lower odds ratios for obesity compared to those meeting none of the recommendations (OR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.18–0.45). Compared to not meeting the 24-h movement recommendations either independently or combined, meeting them was significantly associated with a lower BMI z-score. Whenever the MVPA recommendation was included in the analysis the odds ratios for obesity were lower.ConclusionsFor ISCOLE participants meeting these 3 healthy movement recommendations the odds ratios of being obese or having high BMI z-scores were lower. However, only a small percentage of children met all recommendations. Future efforts should aim to find promising ways to increase daily physical activity, reduce screen time, and ensure an adequate night’s sleep in children.Trial registrationThe International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment (ISCOLE) was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier NCT01722500) (October 29, 2012).

The health effects of daily activity behaviours (physical activity, sedentary time and sleep) are widely studied. While previous research has largely examined activity behaviours in isolation, recent studies have adjusted for multiple behaviours. However, the inclusion of all activity behaviours in traditional multivariate analyses has not been possible due to the perfect multicollinearity of 24-h time budget data. The ensuing lack of adjustment for known effects on the outcome undermines the validity of study findings. We describe a statistical approach that enables the inclusion of all daily activity behaviours, based on the principles of compositional data analysis. Using data from the International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment, we demonstrate the application of compositional multiple linear regression to estimate adiposity from children's daily activity behaviours expressed as isometric log-ratio coordinates. We present a novel method for predicting change in a continuous outcome based on relative changes within a composition, and for calculating associated confidence intervals to allow for statistical inference. The compositional data analysis presented overcomes the lack of adjustment that has plagued traditional statistical methods in the field, and provides robust and reliable insights into the health effects of daily activity behaviours.

A three-wave prospective design was used to assess a model of motivation guided by self-determination theory spanning the contexts of school physical education (PE) and exercise. The outcome variables examined were health-related quality of life (HRQoL), physical self-concept (PSC), and 4 days of objectively assessed estimates of activity. Secondary school students (n = 494) completed questionnaires at three separate time points and were familiarized with how to use a sealed pedometer. Results of structural equation modeling supported a model in which perceptions of autonomy support from a PE teacher positively predicted PE-related need satisfaction (autonomy, competence, and relatedness). Competence predicted PSC, whereas relatedness predicted HRQoL. Autonomy and competence positively predicted autonomous motivation toward PE, which in turn positively predicted autonomous motivation toward exercise (i.e., 4-day pedometer step count). Autonomous motivation toward exercise positively predicted step count, HRQoL, and PSC. Results of multisample structural equation modeling supported gender invariance. Suggestions for future work are discussed.Keywords: self-determination theory, physical education, exercise, well-being Numerous reports and position statements have highlighted that physical activity levels of young people within modern industrialized nations are below those thought to be required for health and well-being (e.g., Health Survey for England 2008; Information Centre, 2008). Accordingly, researchers, government agencies, health professionals, and policy makers have all sought to better understand the determinants of young peoples' engagement. Although the antecedents to participation in physical activity are highly complex (e.g., see socioecological models; Sallis, Owen, & Fisher, 2008), the role of motivation and the processes that support, as oppose to forestall, high-quality motivated engagement in physical activity settings is clearly an important avenue for empirical and applied investigation (Standage & Ryan, 2012).In investigations addressing motivated-related questions within physical activity settings, researchers have increasingly used self-determination theory (SDT; to guide their research hypotheses. One line of SDT-related inquiry has been for investigators to focus on the role that school physical education (PE) plays in supporting students' motivation experiences, well-being, knowledge, and physical activity behavior (cf. Standage, Gillison, & Treasure, 2007). To date, however, there has been relatively little empirical work examining whether motivation within the PE domain impacts on a students' more general exercise motivation and subsequently to their physical activity engagement (Hagger & Chatzisarantis, 2007). Moreover, research conducted from this perspective has yet to examine whether such reasons for exercise engagement (and indirectly, motivational processes within PE) predict objectively assessed estimates of activity and important markers of adolescent's overall health-relate...