Physical activity among Icelandic adolescents HBSC

Abstract

The value of physical activity for physical and mental health is well known. Despite this knowledge, exercise decreases from childhood to adolescence and, in general, exercise is deficient. It is, therefore, important to study the physical activity of children and adolescents with the intention of promoting it and combating inactivity.

The aim of this study was to examine the extent of physical activity of Icelandic compulsory school students in 6th, 8th, and 10th grade and its relationship to gender, age, national origin, family structure, economic status, and place of residence, as well as examining the proportion of students who achieve 60 minutes of recommended physical activity daily.

Data was derived from the national survey Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) conducted in 2018. Participants in the study were 6,102 students in 6th, 8th and 10th grade in the country’s compulsory schools. Questionnaires were administered to students asking about the number of days per week that participants engaged in “physical activity for a total of 60 minutes or more per day”. Students also answered questions about their sex and school grade, the economic status of the family, the national origin of their parents, their family structure, and place of residence.

On average, the students engaged in physical activity for 4.5 days a week and the proportion of students who reached the recommended daily physical activity was only 21.0%. More boys than girls achieved recommended physical activity and more students in 6th grade achieved recommended physical activity than older students. Students who came from families of lower economic status, other family structure than living with both biological parents, and who had parents of foreign origin reached recommended physical activity less often than their counterparts. There was no difference in physical activity between students living in rural and urban areas.

Physical education within schools is a meaningful and purposeful part of a student’s education. Lack of physical activity among children and adolescents calls for increased physical activity during school hours. For physical education teachers there is an opportunity to emphasize the core values of physical activity, exercise, and sports participation for both physical, mental, and social well-being. Participation of children and adolescents within sport clubs needs to be more equal, with involvement of the municipalities, highlighting physical activity for everyone both in rural and urban areas.