Who Are Active Teens? Profiling Their After-School Activities, Motivation and Fitness

Background/Purpose:  Literature indicates that pre-adolescence is a critical time for teenagers to develop active lifestyles. Previous research has identified several important determinants influencing physical activity behavior among teenagers. It is not quite clear, however, what specific motivational and behavioral indicators are that separate active and sedentary teens. The purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which they differ in expectancy-value motivation in physical education, physical fitness, and the ways they spend after-school hours.

Method:  The study involved a sample of 544 6^th, 7^th, and 8^thgrade students selected from eight middle schools, randomized at both school and class levels, in Shanghai, China. There were 268 (49%) boys and 276 (51%) girls. They were in standardized school curriculum and schedule including two physical education classes per-week, daily school-wide calisthenics (20 minutes), and daily one-hour after-lesson physical activity period. Trained research assistants measured expectancy-value motivation (Wigfield & Eccles, 2002) in physical education, physical fitness (PACER, curl-up, push-up, trunk-lift, BMI) and time spent on various activities at home from 3:00pm to 10:00pm (modified from Weston, Petosa, & Pate, 1997). 

Analysis/Results:  Students who spent at least 30 minutes at home doing sports, fitness exercises, and physical play by themselves were classified as active; those spending less than 30 minutes in these activities were as sedentary. MANOVAs revealed no status-gender interaction but main effects by status (Hotelling’s T=1.29, p=.001, η²=.56) and gender (Hotelling’s T=2.16, p=.03, η²=.03). Follow-up univariate analyses showed that active teens were more motivated in physical education than sedentary teens acknowledging higher expectancy for success (p=.04) and stronger attainment (p=.03), intrinsic (p=.001), and utility (p=.001) values in physical activity. They spent more time at home on sport and fitness activities (p=.001), less time on homework (p=.02), rest (p=.001), and sedentary socializing (p=.01), and equal time on other physical play (p=.92) and sedentary entertainment (p=.56). Gender effect was observed only on boys spending more time than girls in sedentary entertainment. There were no fitness differences between the groups (pranging .172 to .624).

Conclusions: The results suggest that active teens are more motivated due to stronger expectancy for success and better acceptance of the values in physical education. At home they spend more time on sport and fitness activities but less time on homework and socializing. It is important to realize that active and sedentary teens do not differ in fitness measures. These identified differentiating motivational and behavioral variables can be targeted in future interventions.