Thesis
Factors that Influence Physical Activity Participation in Chinese Teenagers - from the Perspective of a Social Ecology Model
Southern Cross University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Southern Cross University
2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25918/thesis.327
Metrics
4 File views/ downloads
146 Record Views
Abstract
Recent surveys have indicated that three-quarters of adolescents worldwide do not meet the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended physical activity (PA) levels. Notably, this proportion in China closely mirrors this global trend. The overall objectives of the research presented in this thesis were to identify the key factors that influence adequate levels of PA participation in Chinese adolescents using the Social Ecological Model (SEM) suggested by McLeroy et al. (1988) as the theoretical framework. Five related studies were conducted and reported in the thesis.
Study One aimed to conduct a systematic review to investigate the application of the SEM in adolescents' PA and identify any existing issues. The review found no comprehensive research on the factors affecting adolescents’ PA in China that corresponded to the five levels of the SEM. Domestic studies lacked qualitative research and used self-compiled measurement tools without rigorous testing, leading to possible bias.
Study Two was a cross-sectional comparative analysis of the current guidelines on PA for children and adolescents from the WHO and four developed countries, including Australia, Canada, UK, and USA, compared with that from China, aiming to determine the similarities and differences and to provide a reference for the future revision of the guidelines for Chinese teenagers.
Study Three aimed to develop a survey for the factors influencing PA in adolescents in China, through semi-structured interviews of school teachers and principals, government officers and parents (n=25) and application of the grounded theory, through the theoretical framework of the SEM. The research identified 49 concepts and factors under 19 subcategories and 5 main categories that could influence PA among adolescents.
Study Four aimed to validate and apply the survey method developed in Study Three to explore the factors influencing PA in adolescents that are appropriate to the Chinese national context. The survey was conducted through local schools, with 744 valid returns. After two rounds of factor analysis, five subscales on the factors influencing PA were developed that met the criteria for reliability and validity.
Study Five aimed to construct a structural equation model of the factors influencing PA among adolescents in China based on the data collected in Studies Three and Four. It was found that the individual factors, school environment, community environment and policy all had direct impacts on youth PA level. Individual factors, family environment and school environment played a mediating chain effect and had significantly positive impacts on physical activity.
Details
- Title
- Factors that Influence Physical Activity Participation in Chinese Teenagers - from the Perspective of a Social Ecology Model
- Creators
- Donglin Hu
- Contributors
- Shi Zhou (Supervisor) - Southern Cross UniversityZachary J Crowley-McHattan (Supervisor) - Southern Cross UniversityZhiyun Liu (Supervisor) - Tianjin University of Sport
- Awarding Institution
- Southern Cross University; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Comment
- (Multi-badged Degree) Southern Cross University and Tianjin University of Sport
- Theses
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Southern Cross University
- Publisher
- Southern Cross University
- Number of pages
- 199
- Identifiers
- 991013154613702368
- Copyright
- © Donglin Hu 2023
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Health
- Resource Type
- Thesis