Participation in sport and physical activity for rural adolescent girls: A socio-ecological approach

Abstracts / Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 12S (2009) S1–S83

82 Patterns of physical activity in Australian children from age 8 to 10 years—The LOOK study R. Telford 1,∗ , R. Cunningham 2 , R. Telford 1,3 1 Commonwealth

Institute (Australia), Australia for Environment and Resource studies, Australian National University, Australia 3 Medical Faculty, Australian National University, Australia 2 Centre

Introduction: Understanding patterns of physical activity in children is important for intervention strategies and health promotion. The purpose of this study was to describe patterns of pedometer-determined physical activity over a 3-year period in children participating in the LOOK longitudinal study. Methodology: Eight hundred and fifty-four children (436 boys and 418 girls) initially 8 years old (SD 0.3) were involved in the study. Participants wore pedometers for a period of 7 days once a year for 3 years. Data from the first day was discarded and missing data was accounted for using the ‘shrunken mean’ or BLUPS statistical procedure. We applied an analysis of variance model, the response variable being the square root of steps and explanatory variables were year, day of the week and gender. Results and discussion: Expressing our data as means of number of steps per day with 95% confidence intervals, weekday physical activity levels were lowest on Mondays, being 10,575 (10,138–11,018) for boys and 9080 (8691–9477) for girls. Physical activity gradually increased through the week, values on Friday being 11,734 (11,253–12,224) for boys and 10,164 (9746–10,593) for girls. Activity levels dropped at the weekend, Sunday values being 7529 (7152–7916) for boys and 7180 (6832–7538) for girls. All of these means, as well as those of boys and girls were significantly different (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our data show a consistent pattern of physical activity over 3 years whereby young children’s activity increases during a school week and is reduced on a weekend, boys being more active than girls. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2008.12.083 83 Participation in sport and physical activity for rural adolescent girls: A socio-ecological approach M. Casey 1,∗ , R. Eime 1 , W. Bellamy 2 , S. Maher 3

Payne 1 , J.

Harvey 1 , M.

1 University

of Ballarat, Australia and Recreation Division of the Department of Planning and Community Development, Australia 3 The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth), Australia 2 Sport

Adolescence is a critical time for developing lifelong healthy behaviours including regular participation in sport and physical activity. Participation in sport and physical activ-

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ity, however, declines during adolescence and few studies have comprehensively identified why; particularly amongst rural girls. This study identifies a range of independent and interacting factors that influence sport and physical activity participation in rural adolescent girls. Methodology: The socio-ecological model of health was used to conduct four focus group discussions with Grade 7 girls (n = 34). Four secondary schools were randomly selected and checked for remoteness using SEIFA and ARIA+ Indexes. Results: Adolescent girls were positively influenced when sport or physical activities were fun, they involved being with friends, and were supported by families and teachers through role modelling and positive feedback. A range of intrapersonal and organisational factors affected perceived self-competence; particularly the co-educational nature of school physical education classes and peer teasing which supported social comparisons of skill level. Conclusions: In the promotion of sport and physical activity to rural adolescent girls, focus must be directed upon developmentally appropriate activities that are fun, opportunities for singlesex classes, and generating cultural changes that encourage non-competitive, and self-referencing activities. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2008.12.084 84 Transition in participation in sport and physical activity for rural adolescent girls R. Eime 1,∗ , W. Payne 1 , M. Bellamy 2 , S. Maher 3

Casey 1 , J.

Harvey 1 , M.

1 University

of Ballarat, Australia and Recreation Division of the Department of Planning and Community Development, Australia 3 Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth), Australia 2 Sport

Physical activity is important for lifelong health; however participation declines during adolescence, particularly for girls. During this phase of life there are many life transitions that affect participation in sport and physical activity. This qualitative study examined the views of active rural girls regarding the factors affecting their sport and physical activity participation using the socio-ecological model. Twenty-seven girls aged 16–17 from four rural schools participated in semi-structured focus group discussions. Content and thematic analysis was conducted from verbatim transcripts using NVivo. The girls enjoyed involvement in community club sport with friends. The girls reported living in communities where participation in sport was the major form of social interaction. The desire to succeed educationally was a critical factor affecting their participation in sport and physical activity, and was reflected in a movement from structured club sport to individual activities. It is recommended that future longitudinal research track rural adolescent females as they