OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence and identify correlates of physical activity among adolescents. METHODS Cross-sectional study nested within a cohort of 4,325 subjects from the city of Pelotas, Southern Brazil, aged 14-15 years in 2008. Physical activity was analyzed using three different approaches: (1) prevalence of any leisure-time physical activity; (2) prevalence of any active commut...

Although physical activity is often believed to be influenced by both environmental and individual factors, little is known about their interaction. This study explores interactions of perceived safety and social neighborhood factors with psychosocial cognitions for leisure-time walking. Cross-sectional data were obtained from residents (age 25-75 years) of 212 neighborhoods in the South-East o...

This study aimed to evaluate determinants of differences in leisure reading behavior and school achievement. We specifically examined reading enjoyment, mental imagery, and sex as predictors in a large, age-homogeneous sample of Dutch secondary school students (N = 1,071). Results showed that the prevalence of leisure reading was low in both the lower, pre-vocational track (19.5%) and the highe...

OBJECTIVE To examine the association between leisure time physical activity over a three year period and health related behaviour, social relationships, and health status in late adolescence as part of a nationwide longitudinal study. METHODS Five birth cohorts of adolescent twins aged 16 at baseline (n = 5028; 2311 boys and 2717 girls) participated in the study. Questionnaires on leisure tim...

BACKGROUND Using longitudinal panel data, the aim of this study was to examine the contribution of age, period, and cohort effects on changes in physical activity over time in a population-based sample of Canadians. We focused on three domains of physical activities: leisure time, commuting (i.e. walking and cycling), and daily activities (i.e. sedentary behavior). We also examined whether chan...

BACKGROUND Primarily, this study aims to examine whether children attending sports schools are more active than their counterpart attending normal schools. Secondary, the study aims to examine if physical activity (PA) levels in specific domains differ across school types. Finally, potential modifications by status of overweight/obesity and poor cardio-respiratory fitness are examined. METHOD...

Leisure education is an old idea that is being examined with renewed vigour in Canada. Practitioners and researchers fromvarious disciplines (e.g., health, justice, education, recreation) are recognising anew thatmany people who could benefit from leisure or recreation opportunities in their communities are unable to do so because they lack leisure literacy. Leisure literacy refers to the knowl...

This study investigated how electronic media impact youth’s leisure-time reading at different academic levels. One hundred two school librarians participated in an online survey. These respondents reported that playing computer games, watching TV, and surfing the Internet compete with reading. Primary school librarians mainly agreed with the impact of TV and computer games, but not with that of...