Associations of Participation in Organized Sport and Self-Organized Physical Activity in Relation to Physical Activity Level Among Adolescents

Abstract

Although physical activity level (PAL) is positively correlated with adolescents' health, many adolescents do not fulfill recommendations for physical activity. This study examines the associations of organized sport and self-organized physical activity, with PAL among adolescents. Participants were 301 adolescents (12-13 year-olds). The adolescents wore accelerometers for 1 week according to international standards, and reported their participation in organized sport and self-organized physical activity in a questionnaire. The results showed that the level of participation in organized sport was positively associated with the adolescents' total PAL, while there was no significant association between time spent in self-organized physical activity and adolescents' daily minutes of moderate and vigorous physical activity. In addition, boys who participated <3 h per week (or not at all) in organized sport stood out with the lowest fulfillment of recommended PAL. Our findings underline the critical importance of getting adolescents, especially boys, to participate in organized sport and not to drop out from organized sport during adolescence.

Keywords: adolescence; health; organized sport; physical activity level; self-organized physical activity.

Figure 1

Differences in MVPA level among girls and boys according to increasing participation in organized sport. ^*Indicates a significant decrease in PAL between these groups and the groups left of the arrow at a p < 0.05 level, as indicated by the left-pointing arrow.^‡Indicates a significant difference in PAL between boys and girls at a p < 0.05 level (N = 301).

Figure 2

Differences in MVPA level among girls and boys according to increasing participation in self-organized physical activity (N = 301).

Figure 3

Differences in the fulfillment of health recommendations of boys and girls according to increasing participation in organized sport. ^*Indicates a significant decrease in PAL between these groups and the groups left of the arrow at a p < 0.05 level, as indicated by the left-pointing arrow (N = 301).

Figure 4

Differences in the fulfillment of recommended levels of physical activity of boys and girls according to increasing participation in self-organized physical activity (N = 301).

Figure 5

Differences in MVPA level among adolescents, according to their participation in both organized sport and self-organized physical activity. The figure is organized according to the 36 groups in Table 3, with six different levels of self-organized physical activity at each level of organized sport. Group 1–6 = no participation in organized sport (with increasing level of participation in self-organized physical activity); 7–12 = 1–2 h weekly in organized sport (with increasing level of participation in self-organized physical activity); 13–18 = 3–4 h weekly in organized sport (with increasing level of participation in self-organized physical activity); 19–24 = 5–7 h weekly in organized sport (with increasing level of participation in self-organized physical activity); 25–30 = 8–10 h weekly in organized sport (with increasing level of participation in self-organized physical activity); and 31–36 = 11 h or more weekly in organized sport (with increasing level of participation in self-organized physical activity) (N = 301). Standards deviations for some data points are absent because only one adolescent was available for that category.