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Physical activity (PA) confronts a serious drop in adolescence due to maturation and higher school obligations. The reduction of PA intensity may vary during weekdays and weekends as well as among genders. This research is part of Croatian Physical Activity in Adolescence Longitudinal Study (CRO – PALS) and it was carried out on a sample of 722 (356 males and 366 females) urban high school students. The aim of this study was to investigate various types of PA among adolescents during week days and weekends according to its intensity in a four-year period collected by SHAPES questionnaire. The data were analyzed by ANOVA for repeated measures and Post hoc - Bonfferoni test was done to show differences between every year among male and female students. The results have shown significant decline of PA among both genders, but only for higher intensities PA during weekends. In boys a greater drop has been observed, since the results have shown incline in their PA from the first to second grade of high school. In conclusion, PA decline in adolescence differently affects various intensities of activity, as well as its dynamics between genders. Boys are likely to be more involved in physical activity during both weekdays and weekends, unlike girls who tend to spend more time sedentary and in PA of lower intensities. These findings may be useful for health related behaviour promoting strategies among adolescents, especially those concerning their physical activity. |
