Chinese female international students are known to be physically inactive in the United States and in the United Kingdom. To understand if the same is true as compared to their counterparts in Singapore, this study’s purpose is to examine the physical activity patterns, and the factors that hinder and facilitate participation in physical activities of Chinese adolescents.
Method:
A mixed study comprising of a quantitative analysis of the school physical activity data of 35 Chinese students over 3 years, followed by interviews with 9 Chinese students was conducted.
Analysis/Results:
Non parametric analysis indicated that there is a significant difference in physical activity levels at both secondary and junior college levels (p=0.037) comparing Chinese students to Singapore students. There is a significant difference when comparing the reduced percentage of students with physical activities as their co-curricular activities across nationalities (p<0.05). The main facilitators include social influences, improved health and the availability of resources. Factors that hinder physical activity school or education structure, low self-efficacy, and the lack of time.
Conclusions:
Schools have the responsibility to prepare students not only academic success, but also success in personal health and well-being. It is thus important to understand the physical activity experiences of the Chinese students. Policy makers should make provisions for Chinese students to encourage participation in physical activity. It is also critical for curriculum design in Physical Education to be able to engage the Chinese students, and enable them to enjoy physical activity.