FACTORS RELATED TO PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY - A STUDY OF ADOLESCENTS

Although the consequences of physical activity have been carefully doc umented, less is known about its correlates, particularly among childr en and youth. Based or! a representative national survey of 1131 Icela ndic adolescents, the study examined various physical, psychological, social and demographic factors related to physical activity. Male sex, significant others' involvement in physical activity (father, friend and older brother), sociability, perceived importance of sport and of health improvement and satisfaction with mandatory gym classes in scho ol, were all related to more involvement, whereas hours of paid work a nd TV-viewing were related to less. Furthermore, the data suggested th at the influence of friend's participation in physical activity depend s on his or her emotional significance. Influential others appeared to affect males and females in the same way. The meaning of the results and their implications for future research are discussed. (C) 1998 Els evier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.