Health Education Research Advance Access originally published online on March 8, 2007
Health Education Research 2008 23(1):125-136; doi:10.1093/her/cym010
Factors associated with young children's self-perceived physical competence and self-reported physical activity
1 Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kristianstad University, 291 88 Kristianstad, Sweden
2 Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
3 Department of Psychology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
4 Department of Health Sciences, Kristianstad University, 291 88 Kristianstad, Sweden
* Correspondence to: A.-C. Sollerhed. E-mail: ann-christin.sollerhed{at}husa.hkr.se
The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with self-reported physical activity (PA), self-perceived physical fitness and competence in physical education (PE) among young children. The study included physical tests, anthropometric measures and a questionnaire. The study group comprised 206 children (114 boys and 92 girls, aged 8–12 years). Positive Odds Ratio was used in the logistic regression analyses. High level of self-reported PA was associated with membership of sport clubs and high self-perceived physical fitness. Variables associated with high self-perceived competence in PE were low age, high physical performance, living with both parents, high self-perceived physical fitness, male gender and enjoying PE. Variables associated with high self-perceived physical fitness were low age, high performance in endurance running, high self-reported PA, positive self-perceived body function and high self-perceived competence in PE. Correlations between children's self-perceived competence in PE and actual measured physical performance, between the self-perceived fitness and endurance performance and between self-reported PA and physical performance could be seen as a form of concurrent validity. One implication of the study for practitioners might be that children's own perceptions of their physical competence and activity levels could be used to roughly identify groups of children who are at risk of remaining physically inactive and therefore more prone to be unhealthy.
Received on June 21, 2005; accepted on November 20, 2006