Trends in physical activity in adolescents participating and not participating in organized team or individual physical activity.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Participation of adolescents in organized physical activity (PA), together with physical education, is essential for the development of a habit of regular PA, achievement of PA recommendations and adoption of physical literacy. The aim of the study is to identify the trends and differences in PA levels between adolescents participating in organized team PA, organized individual PA, and those not participating in organized PA. Another aim is to formulate proposals to eliminate the negative effects of the pandemic on adolescents' participation in organized PA. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The research took place between 2012-2021 in 51 secondary schools and involved a total of 1,202 boys and 1,561 girls. Participation in organized PA was examined using the 'Sports preferences survey'. Weekly PA was investigated by means of the 'International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Form'. RESULTS: The results confirmed the negative trend in participation in organized PA. However, this was predominantly caused by the negative effects of the pandemic in 2020-2021. Boys participating in organized team and individual PA had more school PA, recreation PA, vigorous PA, moderate PA and overall PA during the week, compared with boys not participating in organized PA (girls had more vigorous PA, moderate PA and overall PA). CONCLUSIONS: Participation in organized team PA and individual PA plays an important role, primarily in supporting vigorous PA but also in overall weekly PA among boys and girls. The negative effects of the pandemic should be eliminated by increasing adolescents' participation in various forms of organized PA with an emphasis on organized individual PA which can be regularly pursued, even under restrictive measures at home, in the countryside or in nature.

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Perception of Inclusion in School Education and Physical Activity Among Polish Students.

The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted the lives of children and adolescents, leading to many changes in their routines, especially in education. Face-to-face physical education (PE) classes during COVID-19 were affected in organization, possibly conditioning students' participation, motivation, and learning. In the extreme conditions of the coronavirus, it may be assumed that daily physical activity became much less than before, partly because students are learning outside the school environment and PE lessons taught using remote forms do not fulfill their purpose. The aim of the study was to assess the pupil's perception of inclusion in school education during the remote learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare the results with the control group. Moreover, the physical activity of respondents during social isolation due to the coronavirus was examined. The sample consisted of 111 pupils of both genders, aged 14-21 years. The Perceptions of Inclusion Questionnaire (PIQ) was used to measure the perception of inclusion in school education. The structure of the participants' physical activity was examined using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Form (IPAQ-LF) for adolescents. It was observed that the pupils' gender did not differentiate their perception of inclusion in school education. It was proved that respondents participating in research during the COVID-19 pandemic obtained statistically significantly lower results in the case of "emotional wellbeing in school" (p < 0.001; η2 = 0.07) but a higher mean was observed in relation to "social relationships with other pupils" (p = 0.04; η2 = 0.02) than the control group. Girls achieved a higher mean in the case of walk Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) (p = 0.02; η2 = 0.06) than boys. In addition, it was observed that the recommendation of vigorous physical activities was achieved by 37.78% of boys and 34.85% of girls. In turn, 69.70% of female pupils and 77.78% of male respondents met the recommendations for medium physical activities. It was also noted that 87.88% of girls and 86.67% of boys participating in the research achieved the recommendation for total physical activities. The analysis showed negligible and low positive correlations between examined variables.

The Association between Participation in Organized Physical Activity and the Structure of Weekly Physical Activity in Polish Adolescents.

The main aim of the study was to determine the associations of participation in organized physical activity (OPA), and the structure of weekly physical activity (PA) with meeting the PA recommendations among Polish boys and girls. The research was conducted between 2012 and 2019 in the Silesian region of Poland among 3499 secondary school students. To determine the structure of PA (school, transportation, home, recreation, vigorous moderate, and walking), the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Form (IPAQ-LF) questionnaire was used. Adolescents participating in OPA showed significantly more PA (p < 0.001) than non-participating adolescents. The strongest associations were observed between participation in OPA and vigorous PA. The weekly recommendation of vigorous PA was met by 61% of the students with three or more lessons of OPA per week, 29% of students with one or two lessons of OPA per week, and 24% of students not participating in OPA. Therefore, boys and girls with no OPA are at greatest risk of health issues. Schools, sports clubs, and leisure institutions should increase the participation of adolescents in OPA, especially non-participants. Comprehensive school PA programs should especially include those forms of OPA that respect health weaknesses, individual talents for specific types of PA, and preferred types of PA among adolescents.