Carmen Peiró-Velert

Variability of Spanish adolescents’ physical activity patterns by seasonality, day of the week and demographic factors

Abstract In this study, we examined the variability of physical activity (and inactivity) patterns in relation to gender, age, type of school, day of the week, and season of the year among a sample of Spanish adolescents aged 12–16 years. Levels of physical activity engagement, “who” was active/inactive, and “when” they were active/inactive were addressed. A Spanish translation and modification of Cales Four by One-Day Physical Activity Questionnaire was administered by interviewer to 323 participants to measure estimated energy expenditure. Activity was assessed for two weekdays and two weekend days on two occasions during the autumn and two occasions during the winter. In an effort to better describe adolescents’ active/inactive lifestyles, energy expenditures were translated into physical activity categories (i.e. active, moderately active, inactive, and very inactive). Results revealed that mean adolescent total daily energy expenditure was 41.46 kcal·kg−1·day−1 (s=7.05), which corresponded to the “active” category. Factorial and mixed analyses of variance showed statistically significant differences in energy expenditure by gender, season, day of the week, and type of school (P<0.001). Female adolescents spent less daily energy than their male counterparts and, consequently, they were less active overall, even though they were more moderately active than boys. Participants were more active in winter than in autumn, which was largely due to the accumulation of time engaged in more lifestyle activities than differences in strenuous exercise. Adolescents were also less active on weekdays than during weekends. An interaction effect emerged for day of the week and type of school with adolescents attending public (or state) schools presenting higher daily energy expenditures than those from private schools during weekends (P<0.01). The results suggest that girls may prefer less vigorous forms of activity. They also indicate that adolescents are investing time in physical activity when they have the freedom to participate or not (i.e. weekends), in particular those from public schools. We suggest that differences in gender, seasonality, and weekends versus weekdays, together with the choice of lifestyle activities, should be considered when designing activity promotion strategies among Spanish adolescents.

When Physical Activity Participation Promotes Inactivity Negative Experiences of Spanish Adolescents in Physical Education and Sport

This article analyses negative experiences in physical education and sport reported during qualitative interviews of a group of inactive adolescent Spanish boys and girls. The purpose of this analysis is twofold. First and most important, it seeks to give voice to these young people reporting negative experiences and connect them to contexts of physical activity and sport in which they occurred in order to show how, ironically, inactivity is an unintended consequence. Second, the authors attempt to connect inactivity through negative experiences by drawing on conceptual notions of a gendered performativity culture, and symbolic violence. The authors conclude by commenting on how these insights may be useful to critically reflect on physical activity programs, which are too often considered an unquestionable good for all pupils who experience them.

Comparison of physical activity and sedentary behaviours between young haemophilia A patients and healthy adolescents

Summary.  In recent studies, adolescent haemophilia A patients and healthy adolescents have been encouraged to participate in physical activity (PA) based on its many established health benefits. However, none of the studies to date has used objective measures of PA and sedentary behaviour. The aims of the current study included: (i) to determine the amount and intensity of habitual PA among haemophilia A and healthy adolescents, and in haemophilia A patients with and without bleeding episodes in the previous year, and (ii) to identify the type and determine the time spent in sedentary activities in which both groups participate to obtain a broadened view of their daily activities. A total of 41 adolescent haemophiliacs and 25 healthy adolescents, between the ages of 8 and 18 years, participated in this cross‐sectional study. A triaxial accelerometer was used to measure PA and the Adolescent Sedentary Activity Questionnaire to assess sedentary behaviours among members of both groups. Adolescent haemophilia A patients showed a higher daily mean time engaged in light, moderate and moderate‐to‐vigorous PAs relative to their healthy counterparts (P < 0.001). Patients who had experienced bleeding episodes during the previous year also spent more time participating in vigorous PAs than healthy adolescents (P = 0.002). With regard to sedentary behaviours, healthy adolescents spent more time listening to music than haemophilia A adolescents (P = 0.003), whereas haemophilia A adolescents spent more time watching TV (P < 0.001) and playing videogames (P = 0.003) than healthy counterparts. Findings suggest that increased participation in moderate intensity PAs and reduced sedentary behaviours should be recommended among adolescents with haemophilia A.

Selection of printed curriculum materials in physical education: Recontextualizing pedagogical knowledge:

This paper examines how teachers select printed curriculum materials in PE in Spanish secondary schools through Bernstein’s theory of the pedagogic device. The sample recruited were 310 secondary school PE teachers (210 male and 100 female) belonging to the Valencian community in Spain. The mean age of participants was 37.7 (SD 8.7) and the average of PE teaching years was 11.8 (SD 8.87). Teachers responded individually to an interview-administered questionnaire. Results showed teachers were highly involved in choosing the curriculum materials they use, and a slight predominance for teachers to prepare the PE lesson first and then to choose appropriate materials to develop it. Main selection criteria used by teachers highlighted the importance of materials to be adequate to students. Finally, the results suggest that although teachers contribute to the existence of the Pedagogic Recontextualizing Field, they are influenced by the Official Recontextualizing Field and professional ideologies. Le choix de supports pédagogiques papiers en éducation physique : recontextualiser les connaissances pédagogiques Cet article porte sur une analyse, à partir des théories pédagogiques de Bernstein, d’une sélection de supports papiers utilisés par les enseignants dans le cadre de leçon d’éducation physique (EP) dans des colléges d’enseignement général espagnols. Un échantillon de 310 enseignants d’EP (210 hommes et 100 femmes) de collèges de la région de Valence a participé à cette étude. Ils étaient âgés, en moyenne, de 37.7 ans (SD = 8.7) et avaient une expérience dans l’enseignement de l’EP de 11.8 ans (SD = 8.87). Les enseignants ont été invités à répondre individuellement à un questionnaire au cours d’un entretien. Les résultats ont montré un investissement important des enseignants dans le choix des supports pédagogiques qu’ils utilisaient. Plus particulièrement, on note une légère tendance à d’abord préparer la leçon d’EP, pour, ensuite choisir les supports pédagogiques ad hoc et les développer. Les principaux critères de sélection utilisés par les enseignants ont mis en évidence l’important de l’adéquation des supports pédagogiques avec les caractéristiques des étudiants. En définitive, les résultats de cette étude incitent à penser que les enseignants, bien que contribuant à l’existence d’un domaine pédagogique propre restent sous l’influence du discours officiel et des idéologies professionnelles. La selección de materiales curriculares impresos en Educación Física : Recontextualizando el conocimiento pedagógico Este artículo examina la selección de los docentes de las materiales curriculares impresas en la educación física en las escuelas secundarias españolas través de la teoría de Bernstein del dispositivo pedagógico. La muestra está formada por 310 profesores de enseñanza secundaria de educación física (210 hombres y 100 mujeres) pertenecientes a la Comunidad Valenciana en España. La edad media de los participantes fue de 37,7 (SD = 8,7) y el promedio de años de enseñanza fue de 11,8 (SD = 8,87). Los profesores respondieron individualmente a un cuestionario-entrevista. Los resultados mostraron una alta participación en la elección de los materiales curriculares que utilizan, y una ligera tendencia de propensión entre los profesores para preparar primero la clase de Educación Física y, posteriormente, elegir los materiales adecuados para su desarrollo. Se resalta como el principal criterio de selección utilizado por los docentes la importancia de que los materiales sean adecuados para los estudiantes. Por último, los resultados sugieren que aunque los profesores contribuyen a la existencia del campo de la recontextualización pedagógica, ellos se ven influenciados por el campo de la recontextualiazación oficial y por las ideologías profesionales. Die Auswahl von gedrucktem Curriculummaterial für den Sportunterricht : Eine Rekontextualisierung von pädagogischen Kenntnissen In diesem Artikel wird die Auswahl von gedrucktem Curriculummaterial für den Sportunterricht von spanischen Sekundarschullehrer mittels Bernsteins pädagogischer Theorie untersucht. Die Stichprobe bestand aus 210 Sportlehrern und 100 Sportlehrerinnen an Sekundarschulen aus Gemeinden um Valecia in Spanien. Das mittlere Alter der Teilnehmer war 37,7 (SD = 8,7) und die durchschnittliche Dauer der Unterrichtserfahrung betrug 11,8 Jahre (SD = 8,87). Die Lehrer beantworteten einen Fragebogen im Interview. Die Ergebnisse zeigten die starke Einbindung der Lehrer bei der Auswahl des Curriculummaterials und eine leichte Tendenz zwischen der Neigung, zunächst die Sportstunden vorzubereiten und nachher das geeignete Material auszuwählen. Die Hauptauswahlkriterien der Lehrer unterstreichen die Bedeutung der Eignung für die Schüler. Die Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass die Lehrer, obwohl sie zur Existenz des Pädagogischen Rekontextualisirungsfeldes beitragen, vom Offiziellen Rekontextualisierungsfeld und von professionellen Ideologien beeinflusst sind.

Does Sedentary Behavior Predict Academic Performance in Adolescents or the Other Way Round? A Longitudinal Path Analysis

This study examined whether adolescents’ time spent on sedentary behaviors (academic, technological-based and social-based activities) was a better predictor of academic performance than the reverse. A cohort of 755 adolescents participated in a three-year period study. Structural Equation Modeling techniques were used to test plausible causal hypotheses. Four competing models were analyzed to determine which model best fitted the data. The Best Model was separately tested by gender. The Best Model showed that academic performance was a better predictor of sedentary behaviors than the other way round. It also indicated that students who obtained excellent academic results were more likely to succeed academically three years later. Moreover, adolescents who spent more time in the three different types of sedentary behaviors were more likely to engage longer in those sedentary behaviors after the three-year period. The better the adolescents performed academically, the less time they devoted to social-based activities and more to academic activities. An inverse relationship emerged between time dedicated to technological-based activities and academic sedentary activities. A moderating auto-regressive effect by gender indicated that boys were more likely to spend more time on technological-based activities three years later than girls. To conclude, previous academic performance predicts better sedentary behaviors three years later than the reverse. The positive longitudinal auto-regressive effects on the four variables under study reinforce the ‘success breeds success’ hypothesis, with academic performance and social-based activities emerging as the strongest ones. Technological-based activities showed a moderating effect by gender and a negative longitudinal association with academic activities that supports a displacement hypothesis. Other longitudinal and covariate effects reflect the complex relationships among sedentary behaviors and academic performance and the need to explore these relationships in depth. Theoretical and practical implications for school health are outlined.

Competing Effects Between Screen Media Time and Physical Activity in Adolescent Girls: Clustering a Self-Organizing Maps Analysis

BACKGROUND Previous research shows contradictory findings on potential competing effects between sedentary screen media usage (SMU) and physical activity (PA). This study examined these effects on adolescent girls via self-organizing maps analysis focusing on 3 target profiles. METHODS A sample of 1,516 girls aged 12 to 18 years self-reported daily time engagement in PA (moderate and vigorous intensity) and in screen media activities (TV/video/DVD, computer, and videogames), separately and combined. RESULTS Topological interrelationships from the 13 emerging maps indicated a moderate competing effect between physically active and sedentary SMU patterns. Higher SES and overweight status were linked to either active or inactive behaviors. Three target clusters were explored in more detail. Cluster 1, named temperate-media actives, showed capabilities of being active while engaging in a moderate level of SMU (TV/video/DVD mainly). In Cluster 2, named prudent-media inactives, and Cluster 3, compulsive-media inactives, a competing effect between SMU and PA emerged, being sedentary SMU behaviors responsible for a low involvement in active pursuits. CONCLUSION SMU and PA emerge as both related and independent behaviors in girls, resulting in a moderate competing effect. Findings support the case for recommending the timing of PA and SMU for recreational purposes considering different profiles, sociodemographic factors and types of SMU.

The influence of body discourses on adolescents’ (non)participation in physical activity

ABSTRACT Drawing on semi-structured interviews with older adolescents, this article examines how healthism, ideal body discourses and performative body discourses influence their (non)participation in physical activity (PA) and their identity construction concerning exercise, sport and physical education. We illustrate that body transformation through PA, and related slim body desire and the fear of masculinised female bodies, affect adolescents’ decisions to engage in or drop out of sport. Also, a non-hegemonic body shape combined with a display of low physical competence triggers classmate and teachers’ rejection and marginalisation, affecting adolescents’ construction of embodied identities and preventing them from being active. Finally, adolescents who are competent in sport are less influenced by ideal body discourses than by performative body discourses. We highlight the health promotion effects of these hegemonic discourses and suggest strategies to challenge them.

Longitudinal changes in physical activity, sedentary behavior and body mass index in adolescence: Migrations towards different weight cluster

This study examined longitudinal changes in physical activity, sedentary behavior and body mass index in adolescents, specifically their migrations towards a different weight cluster. A cohort of 755 adolescents participated in a three-year study. A clustering Self-Organized Maps Analysis was performed to visualize changes in subjects’ characteristics between the first and second assessment, and how adolescents were grouped. Also a classification tree was used to identify the behavioral characteristics of the groups that changed their weight cluster. Results indicated that boys were more active and less sedentary than girls. Boys were especially keen to technological-based activities while girls preferred social-based activities. A moderate competing effect between sedentary behaviors and physical activities was observed, especially in girls. Overweight and obesity were negatively associated with physical activity, although a small group of overweight/obese adolescents showed a positive relationship with vigorous physical activity. Cluster migrations indicated that 22.66% of adolescents changed their weight cluster to a lower category and none of them moved in the opposite direction. The behavioral characteristics of these adolescents did not support the hypothesis that the change to a lower weight cluster was a consequence of an increase in time devoted to physical activity or a decrease in time spent on sedentary behavior. Physical activity and sedentary behavior does not exert a substantial effect on overweight and obesity. Therefore, there are other ways of changing to a lower-weight status in adolescents apart from those in which physical activity and sedentary behavior are involved.

Validación de una versión reducida en español del instrumento Barriers to Physical Activity Questionnaire for People with Mobility Impairments

OBJECTIVE To validate a short Spanish version of the instrument Barriers to Physical Activity Questionnaire for People with Mobility Impairments (BPAQ-MI), applicable to different types of disability. MATERIALS AND METHODS The questionnaire was administered to 791 university students with disabilities. The factorial structure was validated by confirmatory factor analysis and Spearman correlations were carried out to assess criterion validity. Reliability was assessed using Cronbachs alpha coefficient. RESULTS The proposed model showed good adjustment indexes and an excellent internal consistency (α= 0.920). Negative relationships emerged between the experienced barriers and time spent in physical activity. CONCLUSIONS The short Spanish version of the BPAQ-MI proves to be a valid and reliable instrument to identify, from a socio-ecological perspective, the barriers to physical activity experienced by students with disabilities. The results provide valuable information to develop programs to promote physical activity in this group.

Involvement in sedentary activities and academic performance in adolescents: differences according to sociodemographic variables / Implicación en actividades sedentarias y rendimiento académico en adolescentes: diferencias según variables sociodemográficas

Abstract This study provides a first-time analysis of the differences in the time dedicated each day to different sedentary activities (SA) (productive, technology-based recreation and social activities) and their relation with the academic performance of Spanish adolescents according to sex, school year and socioeconomic status (SES). The sample was made up of 681 participants (50.2% girls), between 12 and 18 years old, who completed self-reported questionnaires. The likelihood of obtaining lower levels of academic success increase in adolescents who spend two or more hours on social SAs and have a lower SES. With boys, this increases further if they spend four or more hours on SAs involving technology-based recreation and two or less hours on productive SAs. In conclusion, adolescents spend a high number of hours carrying out sedentary activities after school. This is something that needs controlling since it may have a detrimental effect on their academic success, especially among adolescent boys.