Age and gender as factors affecting adolescent`s physical activity regime

Abstract

Introduction: In general, physical activity (PA) decreases with age. Changes in the volume of PA and the movement mode are non-linear from the point of view of age and gender. In the lives of young people, there is a critical period accompanied by a decrease in the goals of PA performed in the daily regime. This study aimed to identify changes in the level of PA due to the age and gender of adolescents. Materials and Methods: The physical activity regime was analyzed using the final activity summary score of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A). A total of 417 children at the age of 11-18 years were tested (girls n = 245; boys n = 172). Analysis of the effect of gender, age, and their interactions with the volume of physical activity (PA) was carried out using two-way ANOVA and multiple comparisons of the means of individual age groups with post-hoc Tukey HSD analysis. The independent t-test was used to evaluate the effect of the gender factor. Results: The data presented showed a linear decrease in PA in the PA regime of pupils from 11 to 18 years of age, regardless of gender. Conclusions: PA volume in adolescence generally decreases with increasing age. The critical period appears to be the 14th year of life for girls and the 16th year for boys.