Wang Chee Keng, John

Adolescence is a critical period in the study of physical activity (PA). Research evidence has shown that there is a decline in participation in P A in young people over their teenage years with ages 11 to 12 thought to be a critical age period at which PA begins to diminish. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between students' perceived autonomy support, behavioural regulations, and enjoyment in a physical education (PE) context, using a selfdetermination theory framework. Participants were 1854 secondary school students aged between 13 and 19 years from Singapore. Questionnaires were used to access perceived autonomy support, behavioural regulations, and enjoyment in PE. Results showed that perceived autonomy support predicted more self-determined forms of behavioural regulations in PE (intrinsic and identified) positively and negatively predicted more controlling forms of regulations (external and amotivation). Only intrinsic motivation positively predicted enjoyment. On the other hand, amotivation negatively predicted enjoyment. The findings highlight the importance of perceived autonomy support in fostering more self-determined forms of behavioural regulations and intrinsic motivation in school PE.

The purpose of this study was to validate the factorial validity of the Parents as Social Context Questionnaire for investigating parental influence in youth sport in a non-western cultural context. Data were collected from 258 secondary student athletes in Singapore. Using confirmatory factor analyses, the model fit for the hypothesised six-factor model was compared against that of the highly plausible alternative three-factor model. Analyses showed that scores obtained from the questionnaire are best represented by six unipolar factors and exhibited evidence of measurement model validity. Findings also indicated that the constructs of chaos and coercion as assessed by the questionnaire may not be perceived as distinct by the participants. The factorial validity of the questionnaire is supported by the findings. However, careful examination of the scores from the chaos and coercion subscales in future use of the questionnaire in a similar context is advised.

This study aimed to determine verbal memory performance differences between obese and normal-weight adolescents among high academic achievers as measured by a computerised version of Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. 58 normalweight and 47 obese adolescents were recruited from two Secondary Schools (aged 13 to 16 years) and one Junior College (aged 17 to 18 years) in Singapore. Eight trials of word recall and memory test scores, the sum of total number of words correctly recalled for Trials 1 to 5 [Total Learning (TL)], and difference in word recall between Trial 5 and Trial 1 [Learning Rate (LR)] were measured. Socioeconomic status (SES) was measured by the summative ranking of the housing category and the educational levels of the parents. Obese participants recalled significantly lesser words in all trials and TL memory category. There was no significant difference between normal-weight and obese participants on the indicators of housing category, father’s education, mother’s education, overall SES, and LR memory category. Obese adolescents had poorer verbal memory performance as compared to the normal-weight participants. The role of SES could not adequately account for the memory difference between both groups. This finding suggested difficulty in memory acquisition and retrieval ability in the obese group.

The purpose of this study was to examine individual- and classroom-level differences in the longitudinal change in motivational regulations during physical education students’ transition from elementary (Grade 6) across middle school (Grades 7 to 9). A sample of 757 Finnish adolescents (M = 12.71, SD = 0.23) participated in this study. Participants of the study responded to questionnaires collected six times. A multilevel latent growth modelling approach was used to analyze the data. Results showed that motivational regulations in physical education developed at different rates during middle school. More specifically, students’: (a) identified regulation increased across Grades 6 to 9; (b) amotivation increased during middle school transition from Grade 6 to 7; and (c) introjected regulation declined from Grade 8 to 9. Other motivational regulations remained stable across time. The changes in amotivation and introjected regulation were largely due to individual factors, whereas the changes in identified regulation were due to environmental factors.

Developing effective exercise programmes for the paediatric population is a strategy for decreasing obesity and is expected to help in eventually limiting obesity-associated long-term health and societal impact. In this study, the effects of a 12-week twice weekly additional exercise training, which comprised a combination of circuit-based resistance training and aerobic exercises, in additional to typical physical education sessions, on aerobic fitness, body composition and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and lipids were analysed in 13- to 14-year-old obese boys contrasted with a control group. Materials and Methods: Both the exercise group (EG, n = 12) and control group (CG, n = 12) participated in the typical2 sessions of 40-minute physical education (PE) per week in schools, but only EG participated in additional2 sessions per week of 45 to 60 minutes per session of exercise training, which comprised a combination of circuit-based resistance training and aerobic exercises maintained at 65% to 85% maximum heart rate (HRmax = 220- age).

Body composition was measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Fasting serum CRP and blood lipids were analysed pre- and postexercise programme. Aerobic fitness was measured by an objective laboratory submaximal exercise test, PWC170 (Predicted Work Capacity at HR 170 bpm). ~:Exercise training significantly improved lean muscle mass, body mass index, fitness, resting HR, systolic blood pressure and triglycerides in EG. Serum CRP concentrations were elevated at baseline in both groups, but training did not result in a change in CRP levels. In the CG, body weight increased significantly at the end of the 12-week period.
Conclusion: This study supports the value of an additional exercise training programme, beyond the typical twice weekly physical education classes, to produce physiological benefits in the management of obesity in adolescents, including prevention of weight gain.