Patterns of physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and psychological determinants of physical activity among Singaporean school children

Abstract

The purpose of the research was to examine the prevalence and interrelationships between sedentary and physical activity behaviors, and psychological determinants of physical activity among Singaporean school children. A sample of 1935 children aged 10 to 14 years, took part in the study. In Study 1 (N=780), physical activity and sedentary behaviors were assessed using a 7-day physical activity recall method. Three distinct clusters were found for each sex using cluster analysis. Thirty six percent of the boys spent much of their sedentary time in technology based entertainment (e.g., computer/internet), and 38% of them reported substantial amount of time spent studying and doing homework. The rest of the boys spent their time being physically active but they were also substantially engaged in playing video games. Among the girls, time spent socializing with friends, studying, and engaging in physical activity amounted to 57.3%. Fifteen percent of the girls reported spending much of their time studying and doing homework. A group of girls (27.8%) reported little study time, little socialization, and low engagement in physical activity compared to their peers. In Study 2 (N =1155), three clusters were found using sport ability beliefs, perceived autonomy, and perceived competence as clustering variables. The amount of physical activity that the children took part in was influenced by their perceptions of competence, sport ability, and autonomy. The findings of the research showed that physical activity and sedentary behaviors were not inversely related. In addition, the studies confirmed that certain psychological determinants were important for examining the physical activity behaviors of Singaporean school children.