Abstract
This study examined gender differences in the factors related to physical activity in 832 Taiwanese adolescents. Differences in psychosocial and cognitive correlates were noted by gender group. Taiwanese adolescent girls reported lower physical activity self-efficacy and less perceived benefits and more perceived barriers to being active than boys. Girls compared to boys reported significantly more positive social support, modeling, and norms from parents to be active but significantly less social support and norms from their peers. Structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and indirect paths of a model of proposed correlates and physical activity. The results indicated that peer influences had both direct and indirect paths to physical activity for both genders. Among all examined variables, perceived self-efficacy was the strongest correlate of physical activity for these adolescents. The findings of this study provide information relevant to designing physical activity interventions targeted to Taiwanese adolescents.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersen, R. E., Crespo, C. J., Bartlett, S. J., Cheskin, L. J., & Pratt, M. (1998). Relationship of physical activity and television watching with body weight and level of fatness among children: Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Journal of American Medical Association, 279, 938–942.
Arbuckle, J. (1997).Amos user’s guide, version 3.6. Chicago: Smallwaters.
Armstrong, N., & Simons-Morton, B. (1994). Physical activity and blood lipids in adolescents.Pediatric Exercise Science, 6, 348–360.
Bandura, A. (1986).Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Baranowski, T. C., Bouchard, C., Bar-Or, O., Bricker, T., Heath, G., Kimm, S. Y. S., et al. (1992). Assessment, prevalence, and cardiovascular benefits of physical activity and fitness in youth.Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, 24, S237-S247.
Bar-Or, O., & Baranowski, T. C. (1994). Physical activity, adiposity, and obesity among adolescents.Pediatric Exercise Science, 6, 381–405.
Bollen, K. A. (1989).Structural equations with latent variables. New York: Wiley.
The Department of Health, the Executive Yuan, Republic of China. (1997).The National Health Promotion Plan. Taipei, Taiwan: Author.
Garcia, A. W., George, T. R., Coviak, C., Antonakos, C., & Pender, N. J. (1997). Development of the child/adolescent activity log: A comprehensive and feasible measure of leisure-time physical activity.International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4, 323–338.
Garcia, A. W., Norton, M. A., Frenn, M., Coviak, C., Pender, N. J., & Ronis, D. L. (1995). Gender and developmental differences in exercise beliefs among youth and prediction of their exercise behavior.Journal of School Health, 65, 213–219.
Garcia, A. W., Pender, N. J., Antonakos, C., & Ronis, D. L. (1998). Changes in physical activity beliefs and behaviors of boys and girls across the transition to junior high school.Journal of Adolescent Health, 22, 394–402.
Gordon-Larsen, P., McMurrary, R. G., & Popkin, B. M. (1999). Adolescent physical activity and inactivity vary by ethnicity: The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.Journal of Pediatrics, 135, 301–306.
Heath, G. W., Pratt, M., Warren, C. W., & Kann, L. (1994). Physical activity patterns in American high school students. Results from the 1990 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Archives ofPediatric Adolescent Medicine, 148, 1131–1136.
Jöreskog, K. G., & Sörbem, D. S. (1989).LISREL 7: Aguide to the program and applications (2nd ed.). Chicago: SPSS.
Kohl, H. K., III, & Hobbs, K. E. (1999). Development of physical activity behaviors among children and adolescents.Pediatrics, 101, 549–554.
Liu, T. W. (1995).The influential determinants of exercise behavior of students in a junior college. Unpublished master’s thesis, The National Taiwan Normal University.
Manios, Y., Kafatos, A., & Codrington, C. (1999). Gender differences in physical activity and physical fitness in young children in Crete.Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 39, 24–30.
Pender, N. J. (1996).Health promotion in nursing practice. Norwalk, CT: Appleton & Lange.
Rekers, G. A., Sanders, J. A., Rasbury, W. C., Strauss, C. C., & Morey, S. M. (1990). Differentiation of adolescent activity participation.Journal of Genetic Psychology, 150, 523–535.
Roland, T. (1990).Exercise and children’s health. Campaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Sallis, J. F., Pinski, R. B., Grossman, R. M., Patterson, T. L., & Nader, P. R. (1988). The development of self-efficacy scales for health-related diet and exercise behaviors.Health Education Research, 3, 283–292.
Sallis, J. F., Prochaska, J. J., & Taylor, W. C. (2000). A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents.Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 32, 963–975.
Sallis, J. F., Zakarian, J. M., Hovell, M. F., & Hofstetter, C. R. (1996). Ethnic, socioeconomic, and sex differences in physical activity among adolescents.Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 49, 125–134.
Sarkin, J. A., McKenzie, T. L., & Sallis, J. F. (1997). Gender differences in physical activity during fifth-grade physical education and recess periods.Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 17, 99–106.
Trost, S. G., Pate, R. R., Dowda, M., Saunders, R., Ward, D. S., & Felton, G. (1996). Gender differences in physical activity and determinants of physical activity in rural fifth grade children.Journal of School Health, 66(4), 145–150.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1996).Physical activity and health: A report to the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
Wu, T. Y., Ronis, D., Pender, N., & Jwo, J. L. (2002). Development of an instrument to measure physical activity-related self-efficacy, perceived benefits, and barriers among Taiwanese adolescents.Preventive Medicine, 35, 54–64.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wu, TY., Pender, N. & Noureddine, S. Gender differences in the psychosocial and cognitive correlates of physical activity among taiwanese adolescents: A structural equation modeling approach. Int. J. Behav. Med. 10, 93–105 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327558IJBM1002_01
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327558IJBM1002_01