Direct and indirect effects of multilevel factors on school-based physical activity among Japanese adolescent boys

Li He, Kaori Ishii, Ai Shibata, Minoru Adachi, Keiko Nonoue, Koichiro Oka

Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Japan.
Graduate School of Education, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
Graduate School of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Japan.
Sonan Junior High School, Okayama, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/health.2013.52033                

Abstract

Purpose: Background: Physical activity is a complex behavior which involves the interaction of multilevel factors at the individual, social and environmental level. However, previous studies have largely focused on psychological and/or social environmental factors and the direct impact of such factors on physical activity. There are few studies having examined how multilevel factors may interact to influence activity level. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine both direct and indirect effects of multilevel factors on school-based physical activity in Japanese adolescent boys. Methods: In this cross-sectional survey of the Japanese adolescent lifestyles, 379 junior high school boys were invited to complete self-report measures of age, grade, weight, height, self-efficacy, social support (family, friends and teachers), school physical environment (equipment, facilities and safety) and average minutes per week of physical activity during lunch time and after-school hours occurring at school. Structural equation modeling analyses controlling for age were utilized to examine the effects of body mass index (BMI), self-efficacy, social support and school physical environmental variables on lunchtime and after-school physical activity. Results: During lunch time, self-efficacy exhibited direct positive effects on physical activity. BMI, facilities, and safety were indirectly associated with lunchtime physical activity through self-efficacy. However, there were no significant relationships of equipment and social support with lunchtime physical activity. During after-school hours, family support and facilities directly affected physical activity. Self-efficacy was indirectly related with physical activity through family support. BMI, equipment, and safety indirectly affected physical activity through self-efficacy and/or family support. Conclusion: Effects of multilevel factor on physical activity among adolescent boys differed according to context, which implies that interventions to promote physical activity should be context-specific. Findings encourage the development of future effective interventions to promote physical activity through self-efficacy during lunch time as well as family support during after-school hours.

Keywords

Public Health; Physical Activity; Adolescents; Ecological Model; Structural Equation Modeling

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Hallal, P.C., Victora, C.G., Azevedo, M.R. and Wells, J.C. (2006) Adolescent physical activity and health: A systematic review. Sports Medicine, 36, 1019-1030. doi:10.2165/00007256-200636120-00003
[2]	Janssen, I. and LeBlanc, A.G. (2010) Systematic review of the health benefits of physical activity and fitness in school-aged children and youth. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 7, 40. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-7-40
[3]	Biddle, S.J.H. and Mutrie, N. (2008) Psychology of physical activity: Determinants, well-being and interventions. 2nd Edition, Routledge, London and New York.
[4]	World Health Organization (2012) Global recommenda tion on physical activity for health. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2010/9789241599979_eng.pdf
[5]	Baron, R. and Kenny, D. (1986) The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173-1182. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173
[6]	Sallis, J.F. and Owen, N. (2002) Ecological model of health behavior. In: Glanz, K., Rimer, B.K. and Lewis, F.M., Eds, Health Behavior and Health Education, 3rd Edition, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 462-464.
[7]	Dishman, R.K., Motl, R.W., Saunders, R., Felton, G., Ward, D.S., Dowda, M., et al. (2004) Self-efficacy partially mediates the effect of a school-based physical activity intervention among adolescent girls. Preventive Medicine, 38, 628-636. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2003.12.007
[8]	Dishman, R.K., Saunders, R.P., Motl, R.W., Dowda, M. and Pate, R.R. (2009) Self-efficacy moderates the relation between declines in physical activity and perceived social support in high school girls. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 34, 441-451. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsn100
[9]	Dishman, R.K., Dunn, A.L., Sallis, J.F., Vandenberg, R.J. and Pratt, C.A. (2010) Social-cognitive correlates of physical activity in a multi-ethnic cohort of middle-school girls: Two-year prospective study. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 35, 188-198. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsp042
[10]	Trost, S.G., Sallis, J.F., Pate, R.R., Freedson, P.S., Taylor, W.C. and Dowda, M. (2003) Evaluating a model of pa rental influence on youth physical activity. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 25, 277-282. doi:10.1016/S0749-3797(03)00217-4
[11]	Wu, T., Pender, N. and Noureddine, S. (2003) Gender differences in the psychosocial and cognitive correlates of physical activity among Taiwanese adolescents: A structural equation modeling approach. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 10, 93-105. doi:10.1207/S15327558IJBM1002_01
[12]	Motl, R.W., Dishman, R.K., Ward, D.S., Saunders, R.P., Dowda, M., Felton, G., et al. (2005) Comparison of barriers self-efficacy and perceived behavioral control for explaining physical activity across 1 year among adolescent girls. Health Psychology, 24, 106-111. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.24.1.106
[13]	Motl, R.W., Dishman, R.K., Ward, D.S., Saunders, R.P., Dowda, M., Felton, G., et al. (2005) Perceived physical environment and physical activity across one year among adolescent girls: Self-efficacy as a possible mediator? Journal of Adolescent Health, 37, 403-408. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2004.10.004
[14]	Motl, R.W., Dishman, R.K., Saunders, R.P., Dowda, M. and Pate, R.R. (2007) Perceptions of physical and social environment variables and self-efficacy as correlates of self-reported physical activity among adolescent girls. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 32, 6-12. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsl001
[15]	Lubans, D.R., Okely, A.D., Morgan, P.J., Cotton, W., Puglisi, L. and Miller, J. (2012) Description and evaluation of a social cognitive model of physical activity behaviour tailored for adolescent girls. Health Education Research, 27, 115-128. doi:10.1093/her/cyr039
[16]	Rosenberg, D., Ding, D., Sallis, J.F., Kerr, J., Norman, G.J., Durant, N., et al. (2009) Neighborhood environment walkability scale for youth (NEWS-Y): Reliability and relationship with physical activity. Preventive Medicine, 49, 213-218. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.07.011
[17]	Nader, P.R., Bradley, R.H., Houts, R.M., McRitchie, S.L. and O’Brien, M. (2008) Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity from ages 9 to 15 years. JAMA, 300, 295-305. doi:10.1001/jama.300.3.295
[18]	Berk, L.E. (2005) Infants, children and adolescents. 5th Edition, Allyn & Bacon Inc., Bosten.
[19]	Ridgers, N., Stratton, G. and Fairclough, S. (2006) Physical activity levels of children during school playtime. Sports Medicine, 36, 359-371. doi:10.2165/00007256-200636040-00005
[20]	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011) About BMI for children and teens. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/childrens_bmi/about_childrens_bmi.html
[21]	He, L., Ishii, K., Shibata, A., Adachi, M., Nonoue, K. and Oka, K. (2012) Patterns of physical activity outside of school time among Japanese junior high school students. Journal of School Health, in Press.
[22]	Ryan, G. and Dzewaltowski, D. (2002) Comparing the relationships between different types of self-efficacy and physical activity in youth. Health Education & Behavior, 29, 491-504. doi:10.1177/109019810202900408
[23]	North Carolina State University (2012) Structural equation modeling: Statnotes. http://faculty.chass.ncsu.edu/garson/PA765/structur.htm
[24]	Kline, R.B. (1998) Principle and practice of structural equation modeling. Guilford, New York.
[25]	Schumacker, R.E. and Lomax, R.G. (2004) A beginner’s guide to structural equation modeling. 2nd Edition, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah.
[26]	Hamparsum, B. (1987) Model selection and Akaike’s in formation criterion (AIC): The general theory and its analytical extensions. Psychometrika, 52, 345-370. doi:10.1007/BF02294361
[27]	Dishman, R.K., Motl, R.W., Saunders, R, Felton, G., Ward, D.S., Dowda, M., et al. (2005) Enjoyment medi ates effects of a school-based physical activity interven tion. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 37, 478-487. doi:10.1249/01.MSS.0000155391.62733.A7
[28]	Jago, R., Page, A.S. and Cooper, A.R. (2012) Friends and physical activity during the transition from primary to secondary school. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 44, 111-117. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e318229df6e
[29]	Duncan, S., Duncan, T. and Strycker, L. (2005) Sources and types of social support in youth physical activity. Health Psychology, 24, 3-10. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.24.1.3
[30]	Hohepa, M., Scragg, R., Schofield, G., Kolt, G.S. and Schaaf, D. (2007) Social support for youth physical activ ity: Importance of siblings, parents, friends and school support across a segmented school day. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 4, 54. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-4-54
[31]	Lubans, D.R., Morgan, P.J., Callister, R., Collins, C.E. and Plotnikoff, R.C. (2010) Exploring the mechanisms of physical activity and dietary behavior change in the pro gram X intervention for adolescents. Journal of Adoles cent Health, 47, 83-91. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.12.015
[32]	Patnode, C.D., Lytle, L.A., Erickson, D.J., Sirard, J.R., Barr-Anderson, D. and Story, M. (2010) The relative influence of demographic, individual, social, and environ mental factors on physical activity among boys and girls. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physi cal Activity, 7, 79. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-7-79
[33]	Hsu, YW, Chou C.P., Nguyen-Rodriguez, S.T., McClain, A.D., Belcher, B.R. and Spruijt-Metz, D. (2011) Influences of social support, perceived barriers, and negative meanings of physical activity on physical activity in middle school students. Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 8, 210-219.
[34]	Ornelas, I.J., Perreira, K.M., and Ayala, G.X. (2007) Pa rental influences on adolescent physical activity: A lon gitudinal study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 4, 3. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-4-3
[35]	Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (2012) 2010’s national survey result of physical and athletic capacity and exercise habits. http://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/sports/detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2010/12/16/1300103_5.pdf
[36]	Haug, E., Torsheim, T. and Samdal, O. (2008) Physical environmental characteristics and individual interests as correlates of physical activity in Norwegian secondary schools: The health behaviour in school-aged children study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 5, 47. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-5-47
[37]	Haug, E., Torsheim, T., Sallis, J.F. and Samdal, O. (2010) The characteristics of the outdoor school environment associated with physical activity. Health Education Research, 25, 248-256. doi:10.1093/her/cyn050
[38]	Stanley, R.M., Ridley, K. and Olds, T.S. (2011) The type and prevalence of activities performed by Australian children during the lunchtime and after school periods. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 14, 227-232. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2010.10.461
[39]	Durant, N., Harris, S.K., Doyle, S., Person, S., Saelens, B.E., Kerr, J., et al. (2009) Relation of school environment and policy to adolescent physical activity. Journal of School Health, 79, 153-159. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00384.x
[40]	Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Tech nology, Japan (2012) 2010’s national survey result of physical and athletic capacity and exercise habits: (4) physical fitness and BMI. http://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/sports/detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2010/12/16/1300270_4_1.pdf