Can High Schools Be an Effective Setting to Promote Healthy Lifestyles? Effects of a Multiple Behavior Change Intervention in Adolescents.

PURPOSE: The main aim was to examine the effects of a school-based intervention on multiple health behaviors in adolescents, such as 24-hour movement behaviors (i.e., physical activity, sedentary time, and sleep duration), diet, and substance consumption (i.e., alcohol and tobacco). Another aim was to examine intragender differences in the effectiveness of the programme. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design was carried out in two secondary schools throughout one academic year. A final sample of 210 students participated: 105 in the control (Mage = 13.07 ± 0.63) and 105 in the experimental school (Mage = 13.05 ± 0.59). A multicomponent school-based intervention was conducted by teachers in the experimental school via curricular (i.e., tutorial action plan, interdisciplinary project, and school break) and extracurricular (i.e., family involvement, institutional and noncurricular activities, and dissemination of health information and events) actions to promote adolescents' healthy lifestyles. Physical activity and sedentary time were measured by accelerometers, and the rest of health behaviors by using self-reported scales. RESULTS: Experimental school students showed a significant improvement in meeting specific and general combinations of 24-hour movement guidelines, sedentary screen time levels, nap duration, (un)healthy diet scores, breakfast intake, and soft drink consumption compared to both control school students and their baseline values (p >.05). Active commuting and substance consumption rates only showed a significant improvement compared to control school students (p >.05). Although the intervention programme was effective in improving health-related behaviors in both genders, a large effect size was observed in boys. CONCLUSIONS: Conducting multiple health behavior interventions becomes essential to improve adolescents' healthy lifestyles.

Which School Community Agents Influence Adolescents' Motivational Outcomes and Physical Activity? Are More Autonomy-Supportive Relationships Necessarily Better?

The first aim of this work was to examine the independent influence of students' perceived autonomy support for leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), from different school community agents, on motivational outcomes in a LTPA context and objective PA levels. Using both a variable- and person-centered approach, the second aim was to examine how different combinations of autonomy-support were associated with students' motivational outcomes in a LTPA context and PA levels. A sample of 178 secondary students (M = 13.26 ± 0.64) participated in the study. Autonomy support for LTPA from the PE teacher, mother, father, and peers were the only agents that significantly and positively predicted motivational outcomes in a LTPA context and PA levels. While the two- and three-way interactions of some of these four significant sources significantly increased the explained variance of some motivational outcomes, the plots revealed that the lowest values of motivational outcomes were associated with low values of perceived autonomy support. A cluster analysis revealed five profiles. The "high autonomy support" group reported the most optimal outcomes, whereas the "low autonomy support" group showed the opposite pattern. However, mixed autonomy support profiles did not differ in any of the outcomes. The adoption of a whole-of-school approach seems decisive to empower adolescents to be active in and out of school.

Motivation and Physical Activity: Differences Between High School and University Students in Spain.

Grounded in self-determination theory, this study aimed first to examine differences in motivation for physical activity (PA) and habitual PA levels between adolescents and university students in Spain. The second aim was to examine differences in the degree of association between their intrinsic motivation and amotivation for PA and habitual PA levels in both samples. We studied 2,699 students (1,833 high school and 866 university; mean age = 18.83, standard deviation = 4.12 years) who completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form and two dimensions of the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire. High school students, relative to university students, self-reported significantly higher intrinsic motivation and higher PA levels for each type of PA intensity (i.e., walk, moderate, and vigorous); high school students also self-reported significantly lower amotivation than university students. The degree of association between the total metabolic equivalents of task and intrinsic motivation was higher among high school (versus) university students. This study shows the need to design intervention strategies to enhance PA levels and intrinsic motivation in university students.

Validation Evidence of the Motivation for Teaching Scale in Secondary Education.

Grounded in self-determination theory, the aim of this study was to develop a scale with adequate psychometric properties to assess motivation for teaching and to explain some outcomes of secondary education teachers at work. The sample comprised 584 secondary education teachers. Analyses supported the five-factor model (intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, introjected regulation, external regulation and amotivation) and indicated the presence of a continuum of self-determination. Evidence of reliability was provided by Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability and average variance extracted. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses supported the partial invariance (configural and metric) of the scale in different sub-samples, in terms of gender and type of school. Concurrent validity was analyzed by a structural equation modeling that explained 71% of the work dedication variance and 69% of the boredom at work variance. Work dedication was positively predicted by intrinsic motivation (ß = .56, p < .001) and external regulation (ß = .29, p < .001) and negatively predicted by introjected regulation (ß = -.22, p < .001) and amotivation (ß = -.49, p < .001). Boredom at work was negatively predicted by intrinsic motivation (ß = -.28, p < .005) and positively predicted by amotivation (ß = .68, p < .001). The Motivation for Teaching Scale in Secondary Education (Spanish acronym EME-ES, Escala de Motivación por la Enseñanza en Educación Secundaria) is discussed as a valid and reliable instrument. This is the first specific scale in the work context of secondary teachers that has integrated the five-factor structure together with their dedication and boredom at work.

Validation evidence of the motivation for teaching scale in secondary education

Grounded in self-determination theory, the aim of this study was to develop a scale with adequate psychometric properties to assess motivation for teaching and to explain some outcomes of secondary education teachers at work. The sample comprised 584 secondary education teachers. Analyses supported the five-factor model (intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, introjected regulation, external regulation and amotivation) and indicated the presence of a continuum of self-determination. Evidence of reliability was provided by Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability and average variance extracted. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses supported the partial invariance (configural and metric) of the scale in different sub-samples, in terms of gender and type of school. Concurrent validity was analyzed by a structural equation modeling that explained 71% of the work dedication variance and 69% of the boredom at work variance. Work dedication was positively predicted by intrinsic motivation (ß = .56, p < .001) and external regulation (ß = .29, p < .001) and negatively predicted by introjected regulation (ß = -.22, p < .001) and amotivation (ß = -.49, p < .001). Boredom at work was negatively predicted by intrinsic motivation (ß = -.28, p < .005) and positively predicted by amotivation (ß = .68, p < .001). The Motivation for Teaching Scale in Secondary Education (Spanish acronym EME-ES, Escala de Motivación por la Enseñanza en Educación Secundaria) is discussed as a valid and reliable instrument. This is the first specific scale in the work context of secondary teachers that has integrated the five-factor structure together with their dedication and boredom at work

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A Preliminary Study of the Effects of a Comprehensive Teaching Program, Based on Questioning, to Improve Tactical Actions in Young Footballers.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of a comprehensive teaching program, based on questioning on decision making, and execution in football. The intervention program, based on teaching games for understanding model and including the application of questioning in a context of modified games, was applied during 21 training sessions. A quasi-experimental study with a prepost design with 18 male football players (M = 10.7 year, SD = 0.6) was developed over 18 weeks. Participants were divided into experimental group (n = 9) and control group (n = 9). A total of 1532 actions were observed (1120 passes and 412 dribbling). Results showed that after applying the intervention program, the players in the experimental group showed better decision making in the pass and dribbling actions, and better execution in the pass action, compared with the players from the control group. These results suggest that the application of questioning in a context of modified games must be taken into account to promote tactical training in young footballers and to improve their tactical behavior.

Levels of physical activity, motivation and barriers to participation in university students.

BACKGROUND: Grounded in self-determination theory and trans-theoretical model applied to exercise, the aim of this study was to analyse the existing relationships between physical activity (PA) carried out by university students, perceived barriers to PA, motivation to PA and stages of change. METHODS: 901 Spanish students took part in the study (408 men, 493 women; mean age 22.59±3.59), who completed the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3), Scale of Barriers to PA, Stages of Change and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form (IPAQ-SF). RESULTS: Noteworthy among the findings is the positive relationship between the more autonomous regulation forms, especially integrated regulation, and the moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) levels. However, barriers to participatrion are negatively related to PA levels and the more self-determined forms of motivation. Finally, students in action and maintenance stages, and those who comply with the recommendations on PA present higher values in the more self-determined motivation forms and lower values in barriers to participation in PA. CONCLUSIONS: The study shows the importance of addressing the analysis of variables associated with engagement in PA in the university population to develop healthy policies and intervention programmes that can establish a series of healthy and more active habits in the youth-adult stage. The appropriateness of promoting more self-determined motivation forms is highlighted, especially integrated regulation, to have an impact on higher levels of MVPA.