The Prevalence and Correlates of Physical Activity/Inactivity and Sedentary Behaviour among High-School Adolescents in Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

doi:10.21203/rs.2.18288/v1

Background Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour are the main risk factors for non-communicable diseases in all stages of life. However, there is a lack of reliable data regarding the recommended level of physical activity and its correlates related to physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour among school students in Iran. The aim of the present study was to report the prevalence and correlates of physical activity/ inactivity and sedentary behaviour among Iranian high school adolescents.

Methods The Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) was used for data collection. Related data comprising socio-demographics, health risk behaviour, and protective factors were obtained from 1,517 high school students. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the association between relevant independent variables (e.g. gender) and the dependent outcome variable (physical inactivity/sedentary behaviour).

Results The prevalence of recommended physical activity by WHO was 27.8%, physical inactivity 72.2% and sedentary behaviour 71.4%. Being female, being overweight or obese, walking/cycling to or from school on 1-4 days, sitting 3 or more hours/day (sedentary behaviour), insufficient vegetable intake, being bullied, and lack of parental support, peer support and parental connectivity (protective factors) were positively associated with physical inactivity. On the other hand, walking/cycling to or from school on 5-7 days, and inadequate fruit intake was negatively associated with physical inactivity. Walking/cycling to or from school on 1-4 days, being physically inactive, inadequate fruit intake, and being bullied were positively associated with sedentary behaviour.

Conclusion The prevalence of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour was high in our studied sample. Interventions that address the issue of active school transport, sedentary behaviour, fruit and vegetable intake, family and peer support and bullying should be given more priority by the public health authorities.

Health Policy

Physical activity

physical inactivity

sedentary behaviour

Students

Global School-based Student Health Survey

Iran

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will be responsible for the deaths of 52 million people globally by 2030. Developing countries suffer the highest burden of NCDs. For instance, in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO) NCDs are the leading cause of death and each year 1.7 million people lose their lives [1]. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory ailments are known as NCDs or lifestyle-related diseases. By simple life-style changes many of the deaths from these diseases could be prevented. Physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, tobacco use and harmful alcohol drinking are related to high blood pressure, obesity, hyperlipidaemia and high blood glucose, which increase the risk of NCDs [2]. Almost all of these risk factors are related to physical activity (PA) and diet, and these play an important role in preventing disease and maintaining health [3].

Adolescence is a critical period in life and has an important role in the formation of behavioural and nutritional habits. Some studies have shown that behavioural risk factors associated with NCDs, such as lack of exercise, persist from adolescence into adulthood [4], while this period of life is the best time for adoption of physical activity (PA) behaviour [5]. According to WHO, the recommended global PA level for children and adolescents aged 5–17 years is at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous PA per day for maintaining healthy body weight, healthy musculoskeletal tissue and improving the cardiorespiratory system [6]. Also, physically active adolescents have more negative attitudes to tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption than their peers [7].

The adolescents’ PA patterns have changed and decreased due to time spent watching TV, and screen-based activities. According to the evidence, watching TV more than 2 hours per day is correlated with reduced physical and psychosocial health [8]. Physical activity levels lower than 60 minutes per day on at least 5 days per week are defined as physical inactivity and sitting 3 or more hours per day is defined as sedentary behaviour [9, 10].

Physical inactivity is related to psychological complaints among males and females [11], and according to a review study, sedentary behaviour and having higher levels of screen time activities are associated with more attention problems and reduced psychological well-being [12]. Furthermore, studies have shown that physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour in adolescents are associated with factors such as age [13], younger age [14], older age [15], gender [16], being female [14], socioeconomic status [17], and higher socioeconomic status [18]. Body mass index (BMI) has also been identified as an important factor: In some studies, higher BMI was related to physical inactivity [14, 15], and in others was related to sedentary behaviour [19]. Being bullied [20], inadequate fruit and vegetable intake [21], not attending physical education classes [22], smoking [23], lack of breakfast [15], lack of social and parental support for physical activity [24, 25] have also been found to be associated with physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour.

According to a study comparing adolescents attending school (aged 13–15 years) in 34 countries, who participated at the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS), only 23.8% of boys and 15.4% of girls met WHO recommendations for physical activity [10]. Another study among adolescents, aged 13–15 years in eight African countries, showed that only 14.2% of school children were active and met the WHO recommendation for PA, and among school students aged 13–17 years in ten EMRO countries the overall prevalence of PA was 19% [9]. In the United States and among high school students in 2013 only 29% participated in PA at least 60 minutes per day [26].

According to a literature review and to the author’s knowledge, there are no studies in Iran that report the PA level in Iranian adolescents based on the WHO recommendation. Additionally, most Iranian studies reported only mixed results of PA levels such as the Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET), nutritional habits and screen time activities [27, 28]. According to the Caspian-III study in Iran, screen time activities, such as working with a computer, among Iranian adolescents is more than 4 hours per day of which at least 3 hours is watching TV [27].

Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of self-reported PA activity/inactivity level and sedentary behaviour and their correlates among a representative sample of high school students in the city of Tabriz, by using the reliable and valid, Persian version of the GSHS comprehensive questionnaire [29].

Study site and sampling

Tabriz, a city in the northwest of Iran with approximately 1,700,000 inhabitants, was the site of the present cross-sectional study. High school students (grades 9 to 11) included 62,714 students, of which 29,935 were female and 32,779 males during the 2013–14 academic years. A two-stage cluster sampling was used to select representative high schools and classes. At the first stage, high-schools were selected with probability proportional to the enrolment size, and at the second stage classes were randomly selected, and all students in the selected classes were then eligible to participate in the study. Overall, thirty high-schools, including sixteen girls’ and fourteen boys’ high-schools, and ninety classes ^{(grades 9 to 11)} [30] were chosen to participate in the study. The full details of the methodology have been reported earlier [31, 32].

Data collection

A reliable, valid and anonymous, self-administered, Persian Version of the GSHS PA module questionnaire was used for data collection [29, 33]. The questions in this module measure physical activity, travel to and from school, participation in physical education classes and participation in sedentary leisure behaviour [34].

Data collection took place over approximately three months from 26 December 2013. GSHS is a global, youth behavioural surveillance system designed by WHO, with technical support from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Questionnaires were administered to students during an ordinary school day in selected schools and classes by Province Health Center staff, who, one week prior to the survey date, had attended a workshop on GSHS methodology. Answering time for questions was around 15 minutes.

Data Processing and Analysis

Measures

There are two dependent outcome variables: leisure time PA, which was defined as “any activity that increases your heart rate and makes you breathe hard, such as playing with friends, walking to school, running, walking fast, cycling, dancing and playing football”, and leisure time sedentary behaviour, which was assessed by asking about the time that students spend mostly sitting when they are not in school or doing homework. Leisure time PA was assessed by the question, “During the past 7 days, on how many days were you physically active for a total of at least 60 minutes per day?”, and leisure time sedentary behaviour by, “How much time do you spend during a typical or usual day sitting and watching television, playing computer games, talking with friends, or engaging in other sitting activities?”. Detailed response options are presented in Table 1, and the prevalence of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in Table 2.

Physical activity was defined as having at least 60 minutes’ moderate to vigorous physical activity per day on at least 5 days per week. Less than 5 days/week was defined as physical inactivity, with sedentary behaviour being defined as sitting 3 or more hours per day when not attending school or doing homework [9, 10].

Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated (age and gender-specific) from self-reported body height and weight according to the formula (weight (kg)/height (m2)). Cut off points defining overweight and obesity were used. Students were considered overweight if their BMI was > +1SD from the median and obese if their BMI was > +2SD from the median for BMI for their age and sex [35]. According to the CDC and WHO, insufficient fruit consumption was defined as eating fruit less than twice a day and inadequate vegetable consumption defined as less than 3 times a day [36, 37, 38].

Parental support and encouragement was addressed by the question, “During the past 30 days, how often did your parents or guardians support and encourage you?” and the alternative answers were, “always,” “most of the time,” “sometimes,” “rarely,” and “never.” The answers were then classified into “Yes” or “No”. “Always,” and “Most of the time,” were classified as “Yes,” and “Sometimes,” “Rarely,” and “Never,” were classified as “No”.

Peer support in school was addressed by the question, “During the past 30 days, how often were most of the students in your school kind and helpful?” and parental or guardian connectedness by the question, “During the past 30 days, how often did your parents or guardians understand your problems and worries?”. The responses were classified in the same way as with the parental support question.

Data Analysis

Data analysis was carried out using SPSS software version 24.0. Descriptive statistics were used to report frequency, percentages, mean, and standard deviations. The two main outcome variables were self-reported physical activity and sedentary behaviour. A multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the association between relevant independent variables such as age, gender, grade, being bullied and the dependent outcome variables (physical activity and sedentary behaviour? Yes/No). Reporting of adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and unadjusted odds ratios (UAORs) was done after controlling for factors identified as significant in the bivariate analysis. AORs and UAORs with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant for other statistical tests.

Prevalence of physical activity/inactivity and sedentary behaviour

The prevalence of recommended physical activity by WHO was 27.8 %, physical inactivity 72.2 % and sedentary behaviour 71.4 %. There was gender difference in physical activity and girls were less physically active than boys. However, no gender difference was found in sedentary behaviour, although the boys had more sedentary behaviour than girls. Table 1 describes the sample characteristics and Table 2 the prevalence of physical activity/inactivity and sedentary behaviour.

Association with Physical Inactivity

Regression analysis has shown that being female, being overweight or obese, walking/cycling to or from school on 1–4 days, sitting 3 or more hours/d (sedentary behaviour), inadequate vegetable intake, being bullied, lack of parental and peer support, and lack of parental connectivity (protective factors) were positively associated with physical inactivity. On the other hand, walking/cycling to or from school on 5–7 days, and inadequate fruit intake were negatively associated with physical inactivity (see Table 3).

Association with Sedentary Behaviour

Regression analysis has shown that walking/cycling to or from school on 1–4 days, being physically inactive, inadequate fruit intake, and being bullied were positively associated with sedentary behaviour (see Table 4).

The present study has shown a high prevalence of leisure time physical inactivity (72.2 %) and sedentary behaviour (71.4 %) as well as their correlates among high-school students in the city of Tabriz. Findings from other studies have shown a similar high prevalence of physical inactivity [9, 10, 26- 28].

Our findings show a gender difference with regard to PA levels, with girls having 48% higher odds of being physically inactive than boys. Such gender differences have also been reported earlier [9, 28, 39, 40]. This gender difference can be considered from different perspectives, such as social and environmental determinants of physical activity in terms of access to facilities, safe pavements and the possibility of engaging in physical activity in public places [14, 41]. In Iran, females are prohibited from using bicycles in public places thus resulting in girls being unable to cycle to and from school. The safety of pavements is another factor that encourage parents to provide school busses from or to schools. In general, social barriers for PA are more widespread for girls than boys.

The students with a higher BMI, i.e. overweight or obese, have 2.22 times higher odds of being physically inactive; our results being consistent with previous studies [14, 15, 42, 43]. In Iran, research among school students has shown that there is a significant association between students’ PA level and their weight. Physically active students had a normal weight and were less engaged in sedentary behaviour [44]. In some studies, higher BMI was associated with sedentary behaviour [19, 45] but not in the present study.

Students who reported walking/cycling to or from school on 5–7 days of week had 56 % lower odds of being physically inactive than students who did not walk/cycle to or from school. On the other hand, students who walked/cycled to or from school on 1–4 days had 57% higher odds of being physically inactive. Research has shown that physically active school transport is the best way to promote PA levels and prevent overweight and obesity among school adolescents [46, 47]. In Iran, the main obstacles to physically active school transport were the use of cars [44], lack of safe pavements and some rules restricting females’ PA in public places. Our results showed that students walking/cycling 1–4 days from or to schools have 40% higher odds of sedentary behaviour.

Students with sedentary behaviour (sitting ≥3hrs./day) have 53% higher odds of being physically inactive than students who sit less. According to an Iranian national study, Iranian school students had 4hrs./day or more screen time activities [27, 28], i.e. in excess of the recommended time for screen time activities (not to exceed 2 hours per day) by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) [48], and this long screen time leads to sedentary behaviour and negative health outcomes [11, 12]. The association between sedentary behaviour and physical inactivity has been confirmed in various studies [49, 50] and our results showed that the physically inactive students had 85% higher odds of engaging in sedentary behaviour.

According to research, inadequate fruit and vegetable intake is associated with physical inactivity [21, 51]. However, our results showed a negative association between physical inactivity and inadequate fruit intake. This means students reporting inadequate daily fruit intake (< 2 daily) showed 43% lower odds of being physically inactive, whilst students with an inadequate vegetable intake had 44% higher odds of being physically inactive. Regarding sedentary behaviour, our study suggested that students with inadequate fruit intake have 81% higher odds of sedentary behaviour.

We found that students who were bullied at school have higher odds for both physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour; previous research has shown that being bullied is associated with physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour [49, 50]. In a Danish study of school students aged 13–15 years old, exposure to bullying was associated with physical inactivity [20].

Research has also shown that family support can play an important role in the PA level of the adolescents [24, 25, 52] and, as our results show, the students with a lack of family support, parental connectivity and peer support have higher odds for being physically inactive in compared to students with such supports. Previous research has shown that increased parental encouragement is positively associated with increased physical activity levels in both genders [53]. By providing facilities in terms of equipment, physically active school transportation (walking/cycling) and planning for leisure time PA, such as playing soccer or other sports with their children, parents can have an active role in increasing PA levels [24, 25, 54]. Therefore, families or guardians should be taken into consideration when planning interventions.

In one study a positive association between family and peer support at school and physical activity was found, also confirming peer and family support in terms of PA [55].

Study limitations

The present study has some limitations. First it is a cross-sectional study and does not allow establishing causality to any of the associated factors in the study. Second, the students were from an urban centre in Iran and they may not be representative of those from rural areas, and adolescents not attending school. Third, despite the anonymous nature of the study, participants may have over or under-reported when answering the questions. Fourth the assessment in one city limits the generalizability of the findings to other cities. The desire to present a positive picture in self-reports can also affect the study results.

The present study showed the prevalence and correlates of physical activity/inactivity and sedentary behaviour among high-school adolescents in the city of Tabriz. The prevalence of leisure physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour in our representative sample is high. Identified risk and protective factors should be taken into consideration by public health authorities in the development and implementation of interventions aiming at promoting physical activity programmes in adolescents attending schools in the city of Tabriz.

WHO, World Health Organization; NCDs, non- communicable diseases; EMRO, Eastern Mediterranean Region; PA, physical activity; GSHS, Global School-Based Students Health Survey; CDC, Center for Disease Control and Prevention; BMI, body mass index; SD, Standard Deviation; AORs, adjusted odds ratios; UAORs, unadjusted odds ratios; CI, confidence intervals.

Ethical considerations

The Ethics Committee of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences granted approval for the study [5/4/7180, 1391/08/10]. One week prior to the survey, consent forms were distributed to all parents of students in the participating classes through the school authorities and these were collected from students on the day of administration. In Iran, parents or legal guardians are legally responsible for their children under the age of 18. So, their consent was necessary. All parents or legal guardians provided consent to participate on behalf of their child. All students also were informed about the voluntary and anonymous nature of the study and were told that they could terminate their participation at any time during the survey.

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Funding

This work was supported by the Research Committee of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, under Grant number 5/4/8860. The Publication fee was funded by Mid Sweden University.

Conflict of Interest:

There is no conflict of interests.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Availability of data and materials:

The data supporting the conclusions of this article are not available to the public because of the Internal Research Data Base Rules of the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, questionnaires will be made available to researchers upon request to the corresponding author once they have agreed to sign the non-disclosure agreements.

Authors' contribution

RZ, and SD initiated, designed and coordinated the study. EB, and VR conducted data collection, HSB helped in analyzing the data, RZ wrote the manuscript, RM, and EV checked the results and discussion section and critically revised and approved the final manuscript.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the study participants for their contribution to the study, as well as study investigators and staff. This research was possible due to collaboration between Tabriz Province Health Center, Province Ministry of Education and Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Special thanks to Mr. Abolfazl Jeddi, and Mrs. Mino Mahini from the Tabriz Province Health Center, also Mr.Hamid Mehmandoost from the Province Ministry of Education .

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Kuo J, Voorhees CC, Haythornthwaite JA, Young DR. Associations between family support, family intimacy, and neighborhood violence and physical activity in urban adolescent girls. American journal of public health. 2007;97(1):101-3. doi:10.2105/ajph.2005.072348.
Van Der Horst K, Paw MJ, Twisk JW, Van Mechelen W. A brief review on correlates of physical activity and sedentariness in youth. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007;39(8):1241-50. doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e318059bf35.

Table 1

Sample Characteristics (N=1517)

Variable

Boys no. (%)

Girls no. (%)

Total no. (%)

Gender

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(100)

School grade 9

66

(9.1)

369

(46.7)

435

(28.7)

School grade 10

323

(44.4)

216

(27.3)

539

(35.5)

School grade 11

338

(46.5)

205

(25.9)

543

(35.8)

Total

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(100)

Age ± SD 16.1±0.76

During the past 7 days, on how many days were you physically active for a total of at least 60 minutes per day?

0 days

86

(11.8)

123

(15.6)

209

(13.8)

1 day

99

(13.6)

158

(20.0)

257

(16.9)

2 days

119

(16.4)

114(14.4)

233

(15.4)

3 days

108

(14.9)

116

(14.7)

224

(14.8)

4 days

90

(12.4)

83

(10.5)

173

(11.4)

5 days

65

(8.9)

75

(9.5)

140

(9.2)

6 days

43

(5.9)

22

(2.8)

65

(4.3)

7 days

117

(16.1)

99

(12.5)

216

(14.2)

Total

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(100)

During the past 7 days, on how many days did you walk or ride a bicycle to or from school?

0 days

152

(20.9)

386

(48.9)

538

(35.5)

1 day

81

(11.1)

102

(12.9)

183

(12.1)

2 days

69

(9.5)

51

(6.5)

120

(7.9)

3 days

67

(9.2)

24

(3.0)

91

(6.0)

4 days

21

(2.9)

31

(3.9)

52

(3.4)

5 days

57

(7.8)

24

(3.0)

81

(5.3)

6 days

70

(9.6)

63

(8.0)

133

(8.8)

7 days

210

(28.9)

109

(13.8)

319

(21.0)

Total

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(100)

During this school year, on how many days did you go to physical education (PE) class each week?

0 days

0(0)

1 day

713

(98.1)

772

(97.7)

1485

(97.9)

2 days

0(0)

3 days

0(0)

4 days

0(0)

5 or more days

0(0)

Total

713

(47.0)

790

(50.8)

1485

(97.9)

How much time do you spend during a typical or usual day sitting and watching television, playing computer games, talking with friends, or doing other sitting activities?

Less than 1 hour per day

39

(5.4)

82

(10.4)

121

(8.0)

1 to 2 hours per day

159

(21.9)

154

(19.5)

313

(20.6)

3 to 4 hours per day

278

(38.2)

271

(34.3)

549

(36.2)

5to 6 hours per day

145

(19.9)

130

(16.5)

275

(18.1)

7 to 8hours per day

90

(12.4)

141

(17.8)

231

(15.2)

More than 8 hours per day

16

(2.2)

12

(1.5)

28

(1.8)

Total

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(100)

Knowledge, and Sources of Information

During this school year, were you taught in any of your classes how to develop a physical fitness plan for yourself?

Yes

73

(10.0)

69

(8.7)

142

(9.4)

No

626

(86.1)

695

(88.0)

1321

(87.1)

I do not know

28

(3.9)

26

(3.3)

54

(3.6)

Total

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(100)

During this school year, were you taught in any of your classes about preventing injury during physical activity?

Yes

131

(18.0)

136

(17.2)

267

(17.6)

No

572

(78.7)

622

(78.7)

1194

78.7)

I do not know

24

(3.3)

32

(4.1)

56

(3.7)

Total

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(100)

During this school year, were you taught in any of your classes the benefits of physical activity?

Yes

126

(17.3)

241

(30.5)

367

(24.2)

No

574

(79.0)

524

(66.3)

1098

(72.4)

I do not know

27

(3.7)

25

(3.2)

52

(3.4)

Total

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(10)

During this school year, were taught in any of your classes about opportunities for physical activity in your community?

Yes

61

(8.4)

129

(16.3)

190

(12.5)

No

651

(89.5)

635

(80.4)

1286

(84.8)

I do not know

15

(2.1)

26

(3.3)

41

(2.7)

Total

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(100)

Health risk status and behavior

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Underweight/Normal weight

497

(68.4)

605

(76.6)

1102

(72.6)

Overerweight or obese

110

(15.1)

66

(8.4)

176

(11.6)

Total

607

(40.0)

671

(44.2)

1278

(84.2)

During the past 30 days, how often did you eat breakfast?

Never

21

(2.9)

27

(3.4)

48

(3.2)

Rarely

70

(9.6)

125

(15.8)

195

(12.9)

Sometimes

100

(13.8)

136

(17.2)

236

(15.6)

Most of the times

159

(21.9)

177

(22.4)

336

(22.1)

Always

377

(51.9)

325

(41.1)

702

(46.3)

Total

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(100)

During the past 30 days, how many times per day did you usually eat fruit?

I did not eat fruit during the past 30 days

0(0)

4(0.5)

4

(0.3)

Less than one time per day

76

(10.5)

54

(6.8)

130

(8.6)

1 time per day

129

(17.7)

100

(12.7)

229

(15.1)

2 times per day

164

(22.6)

167

(21.1)

331

(21.8)

3 times per day

190

(26.1)

232

(29.4)

422

(27.8)

4 times per day

85

(11.7)

118

14.9)

203

13.4)

5or more times per day

83

(11.4)

115

(14.6)

198

(13.1)

Total

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(100)

During the past 30 days, how many times per day did you usually eat vegetable?

I did not eat fruit during the past 30 days

71

(9.8)

44

(5.6)

115

(7.6)

Less than one time per day

178

(24.5)

238

(30.1)

416

(27.4)

1 time per day

176

(24.2)

183

(23.2)

359

(23.7)

2 times per day

138

(19.0)

140

(17.7)

278

(18.3)

3 times per day

84

(11.6)

118

(14.9)

202

(13.3)

4 times per day

26

(3.6)

36

(4.6)

62

(4.1)

5 or more times per day

54

(7.4)

31

(3.9)

85

(5.6)

Total

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(100)

During the past 30 days, did you smoke cigarettes?

No

581

(79.9)

707

(89.5)

1288

(84.9)

Yes

146

(20.1)

83

(10.5)

229

(15.1)

Total

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(100)

Have you been bullied during the past 30 days?

No

534 (73.5)

670 (84.8)

1204 (79.4)

Yes

193 (26.5)

120 (15.2)

313 (20.6)

Total

727

(47.9)

790 (52.1)

1517 (100)

Protective Factors

During the past 30 days, how often did your parents or guardians support and encourage you?

Never

43

(5.9)

48

(6.1)

91

(6.0)

Rarely

77

(10.6)

54

(6.8)

131

(8.6)

Sometimes

190

(26.1)

123

(15.6)

313

(20.6)

Most of the times

194

(26.7)

214

(27.1)

408

(26.9)

always

223

(30.7)

351

(44.4)

574

(37.8)

Total

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(100)

During the past 30 days, how often did your parents or guardians understand your problems and worries?

Never

102

(14.0)

127

(16.1)

229

(15.1)

Rarely

189

(26.0)

149

(18.9)

338

(22.3)

Sometimes

156

(21.5)

161

(20.4)

317

(20.9)

Most of the time

132

(18.2)

172

(21.8)

304

(20.0)

Always

148

(20.4)

181

(22.9)

329

(21.7)

Total

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(100)

During the past 30 days, how often were most of the students in your school kind and helpful?

Never

71

(9.8)

38

(4.8)

109

(7.2)

Rarely

173

(23.8)

156

(19.7)

329

(21.7)

Sometimes

222

(30.5)

184

(23.3)

406

(26.8)

Most of the time

147

(20.2)

248

(31.4)

395

(26.0)

Always

114

(15.7)

164

(20.8)

278

(18.3)

Total

727

(47.9)

790

(52.1)

1517

(100)

Table 2. Prevalence and duration of physical activity/Inactivity and sedentary behavior

Prevalence of Physical Activity	Male %	Female %		Total %	Prevalence of Sedentary behavior	Male %	Female %	Total %
< 3 Days	41.8	50.0	46.1		< 1 h	5.4	10.4	8.0
3-4 Days	27.2	25.2	26.2		1-2 h	21.9	19.5	20.6
5-7 Days	30.9	24.8	27.8		3-4 h	38.2	34.3	36.2
Total	100	100	100		≥5 h	34.5	35.8	35.2
Physical Inactivity (<5 days/Weeks)	69.0	75.2	72.2		Sedentary behavior( ≥3 h or more)	72.8	70.1	71.4

Table 3. Associations between Physical inactivity and Independent variables among students (n=1517)

Independent variables UAOR CI 95% AOR CI 95%

Age^a in years

15 1.00

16 0.81 0.59- 1.11

17 0.76 0.55- 1.07

Gender ^a

Girl 1.35 1.08-1.70** 1.48 1.08-2.03*

Boy ^b 1.00 1.00

Grade ^a

First ^eb 1.00 1.00

Second ^c 0.72 0.54-0.96* 0.88 0.62-1.27

Third ^d 0.74 0.55-098* 0.94 0.65-1.36

BMI ^a

Normal/Underweight ^b1.00 1.00

Overweight/Obese 1.75 1.17-2.62** 2.22 1.23-2.92****

Walk/bike to or from school

0 days 1.00 1.00

1-4 days 1.24 0.75-1.30 1.57 1.09-2.25*

5-7 days 0.39 0.30- 0.51**** 0.44 0.32-0.60****

Sedentary behavior (≥3h/d)

Yes 1.55 1.22-1.98**** 1.85 1.39-2.46****

No 1.00 1.00

Fruits intake (≥2 daily)

Yes 1.00 1.00

No 0.89 0.68-1.16 0.57 0.41-0.80**

Vegetables intake (≥3 daily)

Yes 1.00 1.00

No 1.56 1.20-2.01*** 1.44 1.06-1.97*

Bullied

Yes 1.60 1.18.2.16** 1.56 1.08-2.25*

No 1.00 1.00

Current cigarette smoking

Yes 1.18 0.86-1.64

No 1.00

Parental support

Yes 1.00 1.00

No 1.35 1.06-1.72** 1.54 1.14-2.07**

Parental connectivity

Yes 1.00 1.00

No 1.50 1.19-1.88**** 1.44 1.10-1.90**

Peer support

Yes 1.00 1.00

No 1.49 1.19-1.87*** 1.36 1.04-1.78*

Escaping breakfast

Yes 1.11 0.87-1.42

No 1.00

CI confidence interval, AOR adjusted odds ratio, UAOR unadjusted odds ratio

*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001;****p < 0.0001

^aCategorical variable

^bReference group

^cSecond level of high school

^dThird and final level of high school

^eFirst level of high school

Table 4. Associations between Sedentary behavior (sitting ≥3 h) and Independent variables among students (n=1517)

Independent variables UAOR CI 95% AOR CI 95%

Age ^a in years

15 1.00

16 1.23 0.91-1.67

17 1.07 0.78-1.47

Gender ^a

Girl 0.87 0.70-1.09

Boy ^b 1.00

Grade ^a

First ^eb 1.00

Second ^c 0.94 0.71-1.25

Third ^d 0.86 0.65-1.13

BMI ^a

Normal/Underweight ^b1.00

Overweight/Obese 0.78 0.55-1.10

Walk/bike to or from school

0 days 1.00 1.00

1-4 days 1.59 1.20-2.11*** 1.40 1.05-1.88**

5-7 days 1.22 0.94-1.59 1.27 0.97-1.67

Physical activity (≥5d/w)

Yes 1.00 1.00

No 1.55 1.22-1.98**** 1.53 1.19-1.97***

Fruits intake (≥2 daily)

Yes 1.00 1.00

No 1.97 1.47-2.63**** 1.79 1.33-2.41****

Vegetables intake (≥3 daily)

Yes 1.00

No 1.05 0.81-1.37

Bullied

Yes 1.99 1.46-2.72**** 1.70 1.23-2.33***

No 1.00 1.00

Current cigarette smoking

Yes 1.28 0.92-1.77

No 1.00

Parental support

Yes 1.00

No 1.15 0.91-1.46

Parental connectivity

Yes 1.00

No 1.18 0.94-1.48

Peer support

Yes 1.00 1.00

No 1.35 1.08-1.69** 1.20 0.95-1.51

Escaping breakfast

Yes 0.92 0.73-1.17

No 1.00

CI confidence interval, AOR adjusted odds ratio, UAOR unadjusted odds ratio

*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001;****p < 0.0001

^aCategorical variable

^bReference group

^cSecond level of high school

^dThird and final level of high school

^eFirst level of high school

The Prevalence and Correlates of Physical Activity/Inactivity and Sedentary Behaviour among High-School Adolescents in Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

Status:

Journal Publication

Version 1

Abstract

Background

methods

Study site and sampling

Data collection

Data Processing and Analysis

Measures

Data Analysis

Results

Prevalence of physical activity/inactivity and sedentary behaviour

Association with Physical Inactivity

Association with Sedentary Behaviour

DISCUSSION

In one study a positive association between family and peer support at school and physical activity was found, also confirming peer and family support in terms of PA [55].

Study limitations

CONCLUSIONS

ABBREVIATIONS

Declarations

References

TABLES

Status:

Journal Publication

Version 1