Emine Çağlar

Recreational Exercise Motives of Adolescents and Young Adults

Recreational Exercise Motives of Adolescents and Young Adults This study examined the motives for taking part in recreational exercise/sporting activities based on a sample of Turkish young people. Secondly, gender and age group differences with motivational dimensions were investigated. A total of 298 members of 6 Youth Centers voluntarily participated in this study. The Recreational Exercise Motivation Measure (REMM) was administered to all participants. Two × two MANOVA revealed significant main effect for gender (p < 0.03) and age group (p < 0.01). Univariate follow-up tests revealed that the significant main effect for gender was attributable to health subscale, and age group differences were correlated with health, body/appearance, social/enjoyment, and skill development subscales (p < 0.01). It can be concluded that health motives were more important for females than males, and motives relating to health, appearance, and social/enjoyment were more important for young adults.

Screen time of adolescents in an economically developing country: The case of Turkey

Background: Most studies of screen time of adolescents have been carried out in well-developed countries. There is little information concerning screen time of adolescents in developing countries such as Turkey. Aim: This study examined the screen time of adolescents with regard to gender, school type and sport participation in Turkey, selected as an example of an economically developing country. Subjects and methods: A total of 916 high school students participated in this study. The household activities and sport indexes of the Physical Activity Assessment Questionnaire were administered to the participants. Results: Male students had higher screen time (hours/day) than female students and the screen time of the adolescents was longer at the weekends than on weekdays (p < 0.01). The students attending private schools spent more screen time on both weekdays and weekends than those attending public schools (p < 0.01). The results did not reveal significant screen time differences with regard to participation duration in sport activities (p>0.05). Conclusions: Male adolescents and students attending private schools had a higher screen time rate than their counterparts, both on weekdays and at the weekend. Participating in sport for different durations did not make any difference to the screen time of these adolescents.

The Psychological Characteristics and Health Related Behavior of Adolescents: The Possible Roles of Social Physique Anxiety and Gender

The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not the social physique anxiety level and gender have an influence on psychological characteristics and health related behavior of adolescents. Five hundred and ninety eight female (M(age) = 14.95, SD = .70 years) and three hundred and eighty four male (M(age) = 15.08, SD = .76 years) adolescents voluntarily participated in this study. The Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS), three subscales of the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire, and the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale as indicators of psychological characteristics were administered to all participants. The Eating Attitude Test and Physical Activity Assessment Questionnaire were used to determine health related behavior. It was found that adolescents with high levels of SPA (HSPA) had more unfavourable eating attitudes, higher scores in socially-prescribed perfectionism, negative global physical self-worth and negative body related perceptions than those with low levels of SPA (LSPA). Physical activity levels of adolescents did not differ in the two SPA groups (high/low level). In addition, male adolescents in the present study were more physically active and had favorable eating attitudes and more positive self-perceptions of body fat and general physical self-worth than their female counterparts.

Physical Activity Levels of the Young Adults in an Economically Developing Country: The Turkish Sample

Physical Activity Levels of the Young Adults in an Economically Developing Country: The Turkish Sample The purpose of this study was to examine the physical activity levels of the young adults in Turkey, selected as an example of an economically developing country. A total of 1027 university students voluntarily participated in this study. The sport and household activity indexes of the Physical Activity Assessment Questionnaire (PAAQ) were administered to the subjects. Student t-test showed gender differences in the intensity of the sport activities index (p<0.001). The results of 2 (gender) × 2 (intensity of sport activities) univariate ANOVA revealed significant gender, intensity differences and significant gender × intensity interaction on participation duration in the sports activities. This finding showed that males spent more time in both vigorous and non-vigorous sport activities than females. In terms of the type of engagement in sport activity, the majority of males primarily played soccer, while females had primarily walked. The Student t test revealed gender differences in both the duration of housework and sitting in the house. To conclude, males participated in sport activities with a higher intensity and spent more time on these activities than females. On the other hand, females spent much more time on housework activities and sitting in the house than males.

Roles of Perceived Motivational Climates Created by Coach, Peer, and Parent on Dispositional Flow in Young Athletes:

We investigated the contribution of perceived motivational climates created by coach, peer, and parent on the dispositional flow experience of young athletes. Eighty-six female (Mage = 14.24, SD = 1.38 years) and 134 male (Mage = 16.28, SD = 1.17 years) athletes completed questionnaires of perceived motivational climates created by coach, peer, and parent and the Dispositional Flow Scale-2. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that perceived task-involving coach (β = .40, p < .001) and peer (β = .28, p < .002) motivational climates were the only significant predictors of dispositional flow. These findings suggest that task-involving motivational climates should be strengthened to increase experience of flow.

Validity and reliability of the Very Short form of the Physical Self-Inventory among Turkish adolescents.

ABSTRACT The study aimed to test the validity and reliability of the Very Short form of the Physical Self-Inventory (PSI-VS) among a sample of 635 Turkish adolescents. These adolescents have completed the 12 original items of the PSI-VS, plus a positively worded reformulation of the single reverse-keyed item of the physical attractiveness subscale. A series of confirmatory factor analyses was used to examine the psychometric properties of the original and modified versions of the PSI-VS. Findings revealed superior psychometric properties with the modified version than with the original set of items. The modified version was thus subsequently used to examine its factor structure invariance across sexes, age groups and sport practice involvement. Results not only report that this version was fully invariant across, but also that latent means were significantly different across sexes and sport practice involvement. In sum, the Turkish modified version of the PSI-VS presents acceptable psychometric properties and may be used to repeatedly and/or intensively assess participants’ physical self-perceptions in the context of sport and exercise interventions.