Background/Purpose
The importance and benefits of adolescent participation in physical activity (PA) has been well documented. These benefits include reduction of heart disease and strokes, lowering of cholesterol and blood pressure, reducing the risks of certain cancers, and helping to maintain appropriate body weight. It is recommended that adolescents participate in 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) on most days of the week, preferably daily. It is assumed that adolescents who meet this recommendation have high levels of aerobic fitness. It has been recommended that studies be conducted examining aerobic fitness levels and PA participation (Cureton & Warren, 1990). The purpose of this study was to examine if self-reported PA levels through the PA questionnaire for adolescents (PAQ-A) of junior high school students' vary based on aerobic fitness classification.
Method
A total of 351 junior high physical education students, ranging in age from 12-14 years old, enrolled in the 7th-9th grades from one junior high school in the southwest participated. Each participant completed the PAQ-A which assesses levels of PA from the last 7 days. Participants also participated in the PACER aerobic fitness test. Students were assigned to one of three aerobic fitness classifications based on the results of the PACER test (High, Moderate, Low). The researcher distributed and collected all questionnaires along with administering the PACER test.
Analysis/Results
A 3 x 3 x 2 (Aerobic Fitness x Age x Gender) Factorial ANOVA was conducted with the PAQ-A score as the dependent variable. Results indicated significant main effects for gender (F(1, 333) = 4.057, p = .045) and aerobic fitness classification (F(2, 333) = 6.756, p = .001). There where no other significant main or interactive effects. The gender main effect indicates that males had significantly higher self reported PA levels (m = 3.196) than females (m = 2.961). The aerobic fitness classification main effect indicates that self-reported PA levels were related to aerobic fitness classification: High (m = 3.400); Moderate (m = 3.043); Low (m = 2.793). Tukey post-hoc tests revealed significant differences between the high-low (p > .01), high-moderate (p = .042), and moderate-low (p = .004) categories.
Conclusions
Results suggest that students who were classified in the high aerobic fitness category have higher levels of PA participation than students who were classified in the moderate and low level aerobic fitness categories. Also results suggest that males participate in more PA than females which is in accordance to past research.