Stability of leisure‐time physical activity during adolescence—a longitudinal study among 16‐, 17‐ and 18‐year‐old Finnish youth

Abstract

Participation in physical activity during childhood and adolescence is frequently mentioned as one factor likely to promote a more active lifestyle in adulthood with its health benefits. We studied the changes in leisure-time physical activity pattern and self-reported fitness during a three-year period in adolescence and investigated whether the type of sports has an effect on stability of physical activity at leisure. A questionnaire with identical physical activity items was sent to Finnish twins on their 16th and 17th birthdays and 6 months after the 18th birthday. A total of 1338 boys and 1596 girls responded to all three questionnaires, with response rates of 73.6% and 86.5%. The proportions of very active adolescents and adolescents with very good self-reported fitness seem to be alike at each age. Among girls, 23.7% to 27.7% reported being very active (4-5 times a week) and 13.7% to 15.1% considered their physical fitness to be very good at the ages of 16, 17 and 18. Among boys, the comparable percentages were 31.5% to 35.5% and 30.6% to 34.4%. However, the longitudinal three-year follow up showed substantial changes over time among individuals from one physical activity group to another. Only 19.1% of boys and 11.2% of girls were persistent exercisers (i.e., very active on all three years) and 15.6% of boys and 5.1% of girls were persistently fit (i.e., very good self-reported fitness on all three years). Stability of leisure-time physical activity was highest among those who participated in several different types of sports. Among boys the proportion of persistent exercisers was highest for those who participated in cross-country skiing, jogging and body-building (22.0-41.5%) and among girls for those who participated in ball games (11.9-28.6%). Those who participated in organised sports were more often persistent exercisers than those who did not (odds ratio = 13.2 for boys (CI 9.4-18.7) and 8.9 for girls (CI 6.4-12.5)). Also, those who participated in organised sports were more often persistently fit (odds ratio = 7.3 for boys (CI 5.2-10.2) and 10.4 for girls (CI 6.4-16.9). Adolescents are recommended to participate in and try different types of sports, and especially for girls ball games would appear to favour long-term maintenance of leisure-time physical activity.

Physical activity reduces the influence of genetic effects on BMI and waist circumference: a study in young adult twins

“…25 Adequate validity of these measures was found with respect to interviews and fitness assessments of VO 2 max among these twins in adolescence. 26 A cardiorespiratory exercise test was performed in 48 MZ twin individuals from the FinnTwin16 cohort, as described earlier, 27 and we found a strong correlation (r ¼ 0.53) between VO 2 max and the physical activity index.…”

Comparing self-reported leisure-time physical activity, subjective health, and life satisfaction among youth soccer players and adolescents in a reference sample

“…In addition, that adolescents' scores on this item were relatively stable in a study in seven European countries from 1986 to 2002 which also adds to the reliability of this instrument ( (Samdal, et al, 2007). Moreover, a similar single "sweat" question has been found to correlate well with maximal oxygen uptake (Aarnio, Winter, Peltonen, Kujala, & Kaprio, 2002). Thus, the finding showing differences in self-reported physical activity between the two samples is likely to indicate an actual difference in levels of physical activity between the samples.…”

Prevalência de sedentarismo e fatores associados em adolescentes de 10-12 anos de idade

“…Outros estudos são necessários para explorar mais detalhadamente a associação entre sedentarismo e tempo diário jogando vídeo-game. O maior nível de atividade física dos meninos já foi amplamente mostrado e discutido em publicações anteriores 11,12,27,28 .…”