Physical activity behaviors of adolescents in public and private high schools

Objective: To examine physical activity differences between public (PUBHS) and private (PVTHS) high school students (n=6,627). Methods: The 1995 SC Yo uth Risk Behavior Survey was utilized. Chisquare analyses compared PVTHS an d PUBHS students. Results: PVTHS school students reported greater involveme nt in regular exercise programs (p<.001) and participation on school-based sport teams (p<.001). However, PUBHS school students reported greater parti cipation in physical education (p<.001). PUBHS males participated in more c ommunity-based sport programs than did PVTHS males (p<.001); however, PVTHS females participated in more community-based sports than PUBHS males did ( p<.001). Conclusion: Significantly different physical activity behaviors ex ist between PVTHS and PUBHS students in South Carolina.