Physical Activity Participation and the Young People: A Review of Influencing Factors based on the Social-ecological Framework

Abstract

Background: Physical activity is of paramount importance in the developing individuals because it is associated with a number of physical and psychosocial health benefits. One of the contemporary models used to explain physical activity behavior is the social-ecological model. Nowadays, there is increasing support for the use of a social ecological perspective to identify specific correlates that might influence students’ physical activity. Objective: The major objective of this study was to identify and summarize the factors associated with young people’s physical activity participation based on the social-ecological model. Methods: A review of the literature published between January 2004 and November 2012 was undertaken, based primarily on the Medline and PubMed, SPORTDiscus, PsychInfo, Cochrane, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, Web of Knowledge and Social Science Search databases. Only original papers that explicitly used the social-ecological framework to analyze the factors associated with physical activity participation in children and adolescents were considered. Results: Five original articles were deemed relevant to the topic. Current evidence suggests that individual factors (self-efficacy and fun), social-environmental factors (peer support, parent/family support, support from physical education teachers and family economic status), physical-environmental factors (equipment availability, school facilities and locations) and policy factors (higher-level policies, school implementation strategies, teacher supervision, safety rules, sports equipment accessibility and play area accessibility) all affect young people’s physical activity participation. Conclusion(s): To date, only a few studies have used the social-ecological framework to analyze the factors affecting physical activity participation behavior in young people. Further quantitative studies are essential to confirm how these factors interact and affect physical activity participation in the younger generation. Declaration: This abstract has been published in the Journal of Education Research and Behavioral Sciences, 2(3): 28-32, Mar 2013.