Trends and Age-Related Changes of Physical Activity Among Portuguese Adolescent Girls From 2002–2014: Highlights From the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children Study
in Journal of Physical Activity and HealthClick name to view affiliation
Background: To examine the trends of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) from 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014 in a representative sample of Portuguese adolescent girls and to investigate MVPA changes during adolescence in surveys of each year and by generation. Methods: A nationally representative sample of 6018 girls between 11 and 13 years and 3838 girls between 15 and 17 years was drawn from the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children surveys in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. A questionnaire was used to collect data of MVPA. Data were assessed with analysis of variance, t test, chi square, and chi-square test for trend. Results: The percentage of 11- to 13-year-old girls reporting 60 minutes of daily MVPA was low and stable between 2002 (9.5%) and 2014 (11.1%) (P = .21), such as for girls aged 15–17 years (2002 = 5.6%, 2014 = 5%, P = .81). The percentage of girls reporting 60 minutes MVPA decreased significantly among age groups in all year surveys. A significant decrease in correlation with age across the same generation of adolescents was also found. Conclusion: This study points out that the prevalence of Portuguese girls meeting the PA guidelines is low, declines with age, and is stable from 2002–2014. Therefore, different strategies to prevent MVPA decline and promote MVPA are needed since childhood.
Martins, Marques, Loureiro, Diniz, and Gaspar de Matos are with the Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal. Martins is also with the Laboratório de Pedagogia, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana e UIDEF, Instituto de Educação, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal. Martins and Carreiro da Costa are with the Faculdade de Educação Física e Desporto, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisboa, Portugal. Marques, Carreiro da Costa, and Diniz are with the Centro Interdisciplinar de Estudo da Performance Humana, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal. Marques and Gaspar de Matos are also with the Instituto de Saúde Ambiental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal. Loureiro is with Escola Superior de Educação, Instituto Politécnico de Beja, Beja, Portugal. Gaspar de Matos is also with the William James Center for Research, Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Lisboa, Portugal.
© 2023 Human Kinetics