No abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between physical fitness (PF) level and Chinese middle-school students’ perceived well-being, motivation, and enjoyment. Method: In this study, the participants were randomly selected from 16 Beijing-based middle schools in China. In addition to the collection of demographic data (i.e., gender, age, and parental education), tools including the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, the Behavioural Regulation in Sport Questionnaire, and the Physical Activity Children’s Enjoyment Scale were employed for collecting data on other variables of well-being, motivation, and enjoyment, respectively. Results: A total of 1678 adolescents (M age = 14.66 years, SD = 1.80) participated in this study. According to the results, significant gender differences could be observed in the PF categories of mean age, BMI, vital capacity, 50-m sprint, muscular strength, and flexibility (all p < 0.05). In contrast, there was no significant gender difference in the levels of well-being, motivation, and enjoyment observed, with similar scores for boys and girls (p > 0.05). Indeed, adolescents with low BMI scores and high levels of vital capacity, muscular strength, and flexibility showed better well-being, motivation, and enjoyment. However, no association was observed between timed sit-ups and pull-ups and well-being, motivation, and enjoyment. Conclusions: This study produced preliminary findings on the relationship between PF and Chinese adolescents’ perceived well-being, motivation, and enjoyment. To improve the health of adolescents, it is necessary to adopt prospective and experimental research designs for advocating for fitness education in school-based programs in future research.

Objective: To translate the Mindfulness in Parenting Questionnaire (MIPQ) into Standard Mandarin and then explore the reliability and validity of this newly translated measure in a large sample of Chinese middle school parents. Methods: We translated the MIPQ using the forward-backward method and pilot tested it on a sample of parents of adolescents (aged 12–16 years) in China. Following minor modifications, 1057 Chinese parents (Mothers or Fathers) in two middle schools (one in the North and one in the South of China) completed the translated Chinese Mindfulness in Parenting Questionnaire (C-MIPQ). To determine test-retest reliability 121 participants completed the C-MIPQ again 2 weeks later. In order to test convergent validity, 395 participants completed the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire-Short Version (PSDQ-short) and the Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale (IM-P). The Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), Beck Depression Scale (BDI-13), and socioeconomic status (SES) were completed in order to test discriminant validity. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the two-factor model indicated in the original study was a good fit. The total score of the scale and the scores of the two dimensions (‘Mindful discipline’ and ‘Being in the moment with the child’) were significantly positively correlated with the total score of the MAAS, IM-P and the authoritative parenting style in the PSDQ-short, demonstrating convergent validity. Discriminant validity was established as there was no difference in C-MIPQ sub-scale scores across any of the SES variables except for levels of education (parents with higher education had higher scores on the ‘being in the moment with the child’ subscale). In addition, the C-MIPQ was negatively related to stress and depression. Cronbach’s alpha of the total scale was 0.93 (and 0.88, 0.89 for the two dimensions of the C-MIPQ) indicating excellent internal consistency. Test-retest reliability was good (intra-class correlation of 0.83). Conclusion: This study is the first step toward establishing the psychometric properties of the C-MIPQ for measuring mindful parenting in parents of adolescents aged 12–16 years; additional studies will be needed in order to test this further.

Objectives: This study aimed to describe the trends of the muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE) guidelines adherence in adolescents and factors associated with the adherence.Methods: Using the Youth Risk Behavioural Survey data, this study assessed the trends of adhering to the MSE guidelines in adolescents. The survey-year-based trends of MSE guidelines adherence was assessed with logistic regression. Binary logistic regression was used to identify the correlates (i.e., sex, grade, race/ethnicity) of the guidelines’ adherence.Results: 73,074 study participants (female = 36,497, male = 36,108; mean age = 16.04 years) were included for analysis. An overall declining trend of the MSE guidelines in adolescents was found (55.6% in 2011 → 49.5% in 2019, p &lt; 0.001), and similar trends were observed in both sexes. The declining trends varied by sociodemographic factors (e.g., grade). Boys and younger adolescents were more likely to adhere to the MSE guidelines.Conclusion: The declining trend of adhering to MSE guidelines in US adolescents would be a health concern in this population. Girls and older adolescents should be targeted as intervention priorities.

BackgroundSleep difficulties are a common sleep-related problem among children and adolescents. However, the association between eating habits and sleep difficulties has not been extensively studied. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between eating habits and sleep difficulties in children and adolescents.MethodsThis study utilized cross-sectional data from the 2013/2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey. A total of 213,879 young adolescents provided self-reported information on their weekday and weekend breakfast consumption, fruit and vegetable intake, sweet and soft drink consumption, and sleep difficulties. Covariates such as sex, age, family affluence, physical activity, and body mass index were also assessed. Multilevel generalized linear modelling was used to analyse the association between independent and dependent. Results were reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals.ResultsOf all study participants, approximately 50% were girls. Regression models indicated that more frequent breakfast consumption was associated with fewer sleep difficulties (e.g., consuming breakfast on weekdays for 5 days: OR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.45–1.54). Fruit and vegetable consumption once a week or more was also linked to fewer sleep difficulties (all OR &gt; 1.08, ≥ 1.07). In addition, consuming fewer sweets and soft drinks was generally associated with fewer sleep difficulties.ConclusionThis study provides evidence supporting the association between healthier eating habits and reduced sleep difficulties in children and adolescents. Future research using longitudinal or experimental designs is encouraged to confirm or negate these findings. Additionally, this study offers practical guidance for nutritional counselling professionals and sleep health promotion practitioners.