Physical Activity in Adolescents

A special issue of Sports (ISSN 2075-4663).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2019) | Viewed by 19512

Special Issue Editors

Institute of Health Sciences, Kristiania University College, Oslo, Norway
Interests: physical activity; epidemiology; children
Kristiania University College, Institute of Health Sciences
Interests: Physical Activity; Training; Health Psychology; Testing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Physical activity among adolescents is a key topic for the positive development of public health. As the level of physical activity decreases from children to adolescents and a sedentary lifestyle becomes more common, health authorities and laypeople are both struggling to turn this situation around for the benefit of later adult health. The youth of today is faced with a plethora of activity choices, and their interests change from being active to sedentary. The aims of this Special Issue are to report the level of activity among adolescents in different cultural and geographic settings and to close the knowledge gap on how to activate youth for a continued active lifestyle. We would appreciate studies that look at adolescents and physical activity from different viewpoints: The transition from childhood to adolescents, and from adolescents to adulthood, as well as physical activity in different geographic, cultural and religious settings.

Prof. Per Morten Fredriksen
Assoc. Prof. Asgeir Mamen
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • adolescents
  • children
  • adults
  • physical activity
  • sedentary behaviour
  • rural
  • urban
  • self-esteem
  • peer-pressure
  • organized sport
  • self-organized sport

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 932 KiB  
Article
Motives for Exercising and Associations with Body Composition in Icelandic Adolescents
by Pablo Galan-Lopez and Francis Ries
Sports 2019, 7(6), 149; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports7060149 - 20 Jun 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2785
Abstract
The aim of this study is to identify and analyze the motives that lead Icelandic teenagers to engage in physical exercise and the possible associations with variables of their body composition. For this purpose, the Self-Report of Reasons for the Practice of Physical [...] Read more.
The aim of this study is to identify and analyze the motives that lead Icelandic teenagers to engage in physical exercise and the possible associations with variables of their body composition. For this purpose, the Self-Report of Reasons for the Practice of Physical Exercise questionnaire (AMPEF) was administered to 387 students (54% boys and 46% girls, Mage = 13.38 years) from Reykjavik (Iceland). The results reveal the subscales Revitalization and Enjoyment, Strength and Endurance, Challenge and Competition as the main motives for exercising among the participants. Boys score higher in all subscales than girls except for Revitalization and Enjoyment. Associations between the motive Weight Management and Appearance, and BMI and Fat % levels were found. It can be concluded that the participants’ physical exercise practice is based on the feelings and experiences they perceive in the sports practice process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity in Adolescents)
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11 pages, 942 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Study of Fitness Levels among Norwegian Youth in 1988 and 2001
by Kari Aaberge and Asgeir Mamen
Sports 2019, 7(2), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports7020050 - 22 Feb 2019
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3409
Abstract
We compared the fitness levels of cohorts of 15-year-old youth in 1988 and 2001 to ascertain whether there was a negative trend in fitness. The subjects were 15-year-old boys and girls from the same geographical area, n = 192 in 1988 and n [...] Read more.
We compared the fitness levels of cohorts of 15-year-old youth in 1988 and 2001 to ascertain whether there was a negative trend in fitness. The subjects were 15-year-old boys and girls from the same geographical area, n = 192 in 1988 and n = 191 in 2001. They participated voluntarily and could leave the project whenever they wished. The following variables were used to assess fitness: Maximal oxygen uptake, jump height, shoulder flexibility, and hamstring flexibility. Maximal oxygen uptake was estimated with submaximal ergometer cycling, jump height by the Sargent jump-and-reach test, shoulder flexibility as the distance between thumbs when doing straight-arm backwards circling while holding a broomstick, and hamstring flexibility by an active straight-leg-raise test. Differences between groups and quartiles were analyzed by Gosset’s (Student’s) t-test, using a significance level of 0.05. The two cohorts did show different levels of physical fitness. The 1988 group was 3.9 cm better on jump height and 4.2 cm better on shoulder flexibility, while the 2001 group had 3.3° better hamstring flexibility. The lowest performing quartile did less well in 2001 on oxygen uptake and jump height. We recommend an increased focus on improving fitness in low-performing adolescents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity in Adolescents)
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7 pages, 459 KiB  
Article
Do Obese Children Achieve Maximal Heart Rate during Treadmill Running?
by Sveinung Berntsen, Elisabeth Edvardsen, Shlomi Gerbi, Magnhild L. Kolsgaard and Sigmund A. Anderssen
Sports 2019, 7(1), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports7010026 - 19 Jan 2019
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3392
Abstract
Objective: Maximal heart rate (HR) is commonly defined as the highest HR obtained during a progressive exercise test to exhaustion. Maximal HR is considered one of the criteria to assess maximum exertion in exercise tests, and is broadly used when prescribing exercise intensity. [...] Read more.
Objective: Maximal heart rate (HR) is commonly defined as the highest HR obtained during a progressive exercise test to exhaustion. Maximal HR is considered one of the criteria to assess maximum exertion in exercise tests, and is broadly used when prescribing exercise intensity. The aim of the present study was to compare peak HR measurements during maximal treadmill running and active play in obese children and adolescents. Design: Comparison of peak heart rate during active play vs. maximal treadmill running in 39 (7–17 years old, 18 males) obese children and adolescents. Methods: Heart rate was recorded during intensive active play sessions, as well as during a progressive running test on a treadmill until exhaustion. HR, respiratory exchange ratio (RER), and oxygen uptake were continuously measured during the test. The criteria for having reached maximal effort was a subjective assessment by the technician that the participants had reached his or her maximal effort, and a RER above 1.00 or reporting perceived exertion (RPE) above 17 using the Borg-RPE6–20-Scale. Results: Thirty-four children had a RER ≥1.00, and 37 reported a RPE ≥ 17. Thirty-two children fulfilled both criteria. During active play, peak HR was significantly (p < 0.0001) increased (4%) (mean and 95% confidence intervals; 204 (201, 207) beats/min), compared to during maximal treadmill running (196 (194, 199) beats/min), respectively. Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate that peak heart rate measurements during progressive running to exhaustion in obese children and adolescents cannot necessarily be determined as maximal heart rate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity in Adolescents)
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11 pages, 2502 KiB  
Article
Changes in Quality of Life in Elementary School Children—The Health Oriented Pedagogical Project (HOPP)
by Per Morten Fredriksen, Helene Kristine Olsen and Trine Johansen Meza
Sports 2019, 7(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports7010011 - 03 Jan 2019
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5102
Abstract
Background: Quality of life (QoL) studies may provide information of change in health status in the population. Few studies have followed up previous cross-sectional studies to investigate any change in the QoL status of healthy children. The aim of the current study is [...] Read more.
Background: Quality of life (QoL) studies may provide information of change in health status in the population. Few studies have followed up previous cross-sectional studies to investigate any change in the QoL status of healthy children. The aim of the current study is to compare QoL in children 6–12 years old in two large cross-sectional studies of healthy children completed a decade apart. Methods: In the current study children and parents from nine elementary schools (n = 2816) were included in a cross-sectional study investigating children’s QoL. Using the Life Quality in Children and Adolescents (ILC), completed by both children and parents, the global QoL-score was estimated for 2297 children and 1639 parental reports. These results were compared to a similar study performed in 2004. The scores from both studies were divided into categories of below average, average and above average QoL. The percentage change of QoL between the two studies is presented. Results: Our results show that parents report that more children have below and above average QoL in 2015 compared to 2004. In contrast, more children scored in the average and above average QoL category in 2015 than in 2004. Conclusion: Parents reported lower QoL and children higher QoL in 2015 compared to 2004. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity in Adolescents)
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Review

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12 pages, 909 KiB  
Review
The Effect of Body Mass Index on Acute Cardiometabolic Responses to Graded Exercise Testing in Children: A Narrative Review
by Pantelis T. Nikolaidis, Eleni Kintziou, Georgios Georgoudis, José Afonso, Rodrigo L. Vancini and Beat Knechtle
Sports 2018, 6(4), 103; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports6040103 - 20 Sep 2018
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4219
Abstract
Although the beneficial role of exercise for health is widely recognized, it is not clear to what extent the acute physiological responses (e.g., heart rate (HR) and oxygen uptake (VO2)) to a graded exercise test are influenced by nutritional status (i.e., [...] Read more.
Although the beneficial role of exercise for health is widely recognized, it is not clear to what extent the acute physiological responses (e.g., heart rate (HR) and oxygen uptake (VO2)) to a graded exercise test are influenced by nutritional status (i.e., overweight vs. normal-weight). Therefore, the main objectives of the present narrative review were to examine the effect of nutritional status on acute HR, and VO2 responses of children to exercise testing. For this purpose, we examined existing literature using PubMed, ISI, Scopus, and Google Scholar search engines. Compared with their normal-body mass index (BMI) peers, a trend of higher HRrest, higher HR during submaximal exercise testing, and lower HRmax was observed among overweight and obese children (according to BMI). Independent from exercise mode (walking, running, cycling, or stepping), exercise testing was metabolically more demanding (i.e., higher VO2) for obese and overweight children than for their normal-weight peers. Considering these cardiometabolic differences according to BMI in children might help exercise specialists to evaluate the outcome of a graded exercise test (GXT) (e.g., VO2max, HRmax) and to prescribe optimal exercise intensity in the context of development of exercise programs for the management of body mass. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity in Adolescents)
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