Attitudes towards exercise and physical activity behaviours in Greek schoolchildren after a year long health education intervention

Christodoulos, Antonios D.; Douda, Helen; Polykratis, M; Tokmakidis, Savvas P.

doi:10.1136/bjsm.2005.024521

Cited by 52 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(15 reference statements)

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“…Few other intervention studies report significant changes such as these after such limited exposure. The majority of these studies demonstrate changes as a result of interventions lasting in the region of a year for cardiovascular fitness 18 and psychosocial measures, 19 but sometimes up to 3 years for psychosocial variables. 20 Limitations of this study include the lack of rigorous monitoring data to support the evaluation, limited data collected from control schools, and the small number of learners tested at control schools.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of a school-based physical activity intervention in Alexandra Township

Ce¹,

Kock²,

Grimsrud³

et al. 2010

S. Afr. j. sports med.

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2and the alarming prevalence of both obesity and physical inactivity in South Africans, 3 even from more disadvantaged communities, 4 there are limited data on successful physical activity interventions in preventing and reducing NCDs in these settings. Physical activity has been linked to the prevention and reduction of these diseases, 5 and the problem of inactivity has been demonstrated throughout the life-course in South Africans, with only 50% of South African secondary school learners reporting participation in weekly physical education. 6School-based physical activity interventions are one of the many strategies employed in both developed and developing settings to address the rise of NCDs,7,8 although there is limited literature from developing settings. Within school-based interventions, teachers play a pivotal role in the implementation of these interventions and are acknowledged as an important source of information regarding perceptions of barriers to and factors facilitating school-based physical activity interventions 9 and the promotion of physical activity in the school environment.10 orIgInal research arTIcle evaluation of a school-based physical activity intervention in alexandra Township abstract objectives. Non-communicable diseases and limited participation in school physical education have become increasing concerns in South Africa. In response to these concerns, a schoolbased physical activity intervention, Healthnutz, was implemented in three primary schools in Alexandra Township, Johannesburg. Evaluation of Healthnutz included assessing its feasibility and acceptability, and short-term changes in learners' physical fitness, knowledge and attitudes. Methods.To assess feasibility and acceptability, a situational analysis and focus groups with teachers and programme monitors were conducted. Pre-post fitness testing (3-month interval) was conducted with learners, and a questionnaire assessed changes in learners' knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and perceived barriers to physical activity, in control and intervention schools.results. At implementation, teachers identified the need for more physical activity in the school environment and were positive about Healthnutz. Follow-up focus group discussions suggested that it was positively impacting teachers, learners and the school in general. Scores for sit and reach (p<0.001), sit ups (p<0.02) and shuttle run (p<0.0001) improved significantly in in-

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of a school-based physical activity intervention in Alexandra Township

Ce¹,

Kock²,

Grimsrud³

et al. 2010

S. Afr. j. sports med.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…[10][11][12][13]15,18,28 Four of the eight studies that reported intervention effects on self-efficacy reported significant improvements in that construct; [14][15][16]18 however, only two out of six interventions reported significant improvements in physical activity enjoyment or preference. 22,27 Positive effects on attitudes towards physical activity, 24,28 perceived social support for physical activity, 18 outcome expectancies, 16 and exercise behavioural capability 14 were also reported.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most common theoretical framework applied was the Social Cognitive Theory (13 studies). [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] Only two studies reported using the Theory of Planned Behaviour, 13,24 with other theoretical frameworks, such as the Behavioural Choice Theory, 11 the Organizational Change Theory, 14 the Social Ecological Model, 25 and Pender's Health Promotion Model 23 being reported by single studies. Four interventions did not explicitly identify using a theoretical framework; [26][27][28][29] however, the effects on theoretically derived constructs such as knowledge and beliefs, enjoyment, social influences, barriers, perceived health, and self-efficacy were reported.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of strategies to promote children's physical activity on potential mediators

2009

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The aim of this paper is to review evidence of the effectiveness of interventions that present physical activity outcomes and potential mediators of behavioural change among 4-12-year-old children. A systematic search of electronic databases for original research articles published in peer-review journals between January 1985 and the end of June 2006 was carried out. A total of 19 studies that reported intervention effects on physical activity and mediators of behavioural change were identified. The most common mediators reported included physical activity knowledge or beliefs (11 studies); self-efficacy (8 studies); and enjoyment or preference for physical activity (6 studies). Less frequently reported mediators included attitudes, behavioural capability, intentions, outcome expectancies, social norms, social support and self-concept. Seven of the 11 interventions that reported intervention effects on knowledge/beliefs stated positive changes in this mediator. Four of the eight studies that reported intervention effects on self-efficacy had significant improvements; however, only two out of six interventions reported significant improvements in physical activity enjoyment or preference. None of the studies reviewed reported whether changes in these constructs mediated changes in children's physical activity behaviours. Although more than half of the studies reviewed reported a positive intervention effect on children's physical activity, no study carried out a mediating analysis to attempt to identify the mechanisms of change. Future research should more clearly identify the mediators of behavioural change that are being targeted and whether this explains intervention effects.

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“…One of the important predictors of people engaging in physical activity is attitude towards exercise [7]; in particular children will participate in physical activities when they have a positive attitude towards physical activity [14]. Several studies have shown that integrating health education in classes, labs and readings can have positive impact on children's health attitude [5,12]. However, many schools (particularly in the U.S.) intend to improve students' academic scores by increasing time for core curricular subjects and decreasing physical education (PE) [36], or other scheduled physical activity.…”

Section: Attitudes About Physical Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Decreasing sedentary behaviours in pre-adolescents using casual exergames at school

Gao

Gerling

Mandryk

et al. 2014

Proceedings of the First ACM SIGCHI Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play

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There are risks to too much sedentary behaviour, regardless of a person's level of physical activity, particularly for children. As exercise habits instilled during childhood are strong predictors of healthy lifestyles later in life, it is important that schools break up long sedentary periods with short periods of physical activity. Casual exergames are an appealing option for schools who wish to engage adolescents, and have been shown to provide exertion levels at recommended values, even when played for only 10 minutes. In this paper we describe a preliminary survey with teachers of a local school that informed the deployment of a casual exergame with a group of preadolescent students from the same school. We show that students preferred the game to traditional exercise, that the game was able to generate appropriate levels of exertion in pre-adolescents, and that students have a sophisticated understanding of the role of exercise in their lives. Overall, we establish the feasibility of casual exergames for combating sedentary behavior in preteen classrooms.

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Attitudes towards exercise and physical activity behaviours in Greek schoolchildren after a year long health education intervention

Cited by 52 publications

References 29 publications

Evaluation of a school-based physical activity intervention in Alexandra Township

Evaluation of a school-based physical activity intervention in Alexandra Township

Effects of strategies to promote children's physical activity on potential mediators

Decreasing sedentary behaviours in pre-adolescents using casual exergames at school

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