Adolescents, leisure time physical activity and the virtual world of Internet in Tehran

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of adolescents towards leisure time physical activity in the virtual world of Internet, and examined the reason why some students are able to maintain regular participation in leisure time physical activity whereas others fail. This study investigated high school students’ positive and negative outcome belief, normative belief, and constrains towards internet-use and LTPA participation. Qualitative research method, which included semi-structured interviews, was used for this study. The sample included 40 high school students who have an internet-use habit in Tehran. They answered the questions from the investigators and expressed their own feeling about their leisure experiences. The data analysis was done by using the constant comparison technique using interview method and typed in Excel. The results showed that, there were both positive and negative attitudes of students towards leisure time physical activity participation (p<0.050).