Matthew Y.W. Kwan - University of Toronto,
Doctoral Stipend 2007
Français
The transition out of high school has been suggested to be the first major life transition that an individual makes (Brooks, & Dubois, 1995), and has been associated with dramatic decline
in physical activity between high school and university (Kwan et al., 2009). The purpose of the Sport Canada funded study was to determine whether the declines in overall physical activity were due to declines in sport participation, and to explore salient barriers associated sport participation. One hundred and sixty-two first-year university students (Mage = 18.40 + .64) completed
the Modifiable Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents, Godin Leisure-time Questionnaire,
and semi-structured open-ended barrier-related questions. Results indicated that there were significant declines in both moderate F(1,147) = 9.69, p<.01, and strenuous F(1,147) = 41.75, p<.01, leisure-time physical activities; however, was more pronounced in strenuous activities, which were significantly related to sport-specific activities (r = .49). Overall, the number
of sports played F(1,100) = 132.21, p<.01, frequency in sports F(1,93) = 71.59, p<.01, and overall METs accrued though sports F(1,93) = 104.27, p<.01, all significantly declined during entry into university. Participants indicated that time constraints, availability of sports, fatigue, alternative social activities, and laziness were salient barriers affecting their sport participation. Overall, these results are the first to provide empirical support for the decline in sport participation during ones transition to university. However, the question remains: what can we do?
Translating these research findings into practice, the results from the Sport Canada funded project has led to the development of a website-delivered physical activity intervention. This intervention was designed to: (1) target theory-based psycho-social determinants of sport and physical activity participation (e.g., attitudes, self-efficacy); (2) to provide students with self-regulatory tools
to overcome salient sport and physical activity barriers (e.g., goal setting, action planning); and
(3) to provide students with an informational forum to seek out activities of interest. For example, the forum includes information around sport activities being offered on campus, sport facilities that are accessible on or around campus, and links to community sport and social clubs. Currently ongoing, this study will test the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of this website-delivered intervention, specifically examining changes in students’ social cognitions
and behavioural patterns.
The transition out of high school has been suggested to be the first major life transition that an individual makes (Brooks, & Dubois, 1995), involving drastic changes that requires adjustments in behaviour. Following high school, about 70% of Canadian high school graduates pursue post-secondary education (Bowlby & McMullen, 2002); however, considerable evidence indicates a dramatic decline in physical activity between high school and university (Bray & Born, 2004). Organized sporting has been suggested to be one contributing factor (Aaron, 2005), however, there has yet be empirical evidence to support this. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were declines in sport participation between students’ final year of high school to their first year at university. Furthermore, we also examined students’ perceived barriers that may have influenced their participation in sports. One hundred and sixty-two first-year university students (M age = 18.40 + .64) completed the Modifiable Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents, Godin Leisure-time Questionnaire, and semi-structured open-ended questions (perceived barriers). Results indicated that there were significant declines in both moderate F(1,147) = 9.69, p<.01, and strenuous F(1,147) = 41.75, p<.01, leisure-time physical activities. Interestingly, strenuous activities was significantly related to sport activities (r = .49), and its decline was more pronounced. Specific to sports, the number of sports played F(1,100) = 132.21, p<.01, frequency in sports F(1,93) = 71.59, p<.01, and overall METs accrued though sports F(1,93) = 104.27, p<.01, were all significantly less in first-year university. Participants indicated that time constraints, availability of sports, fatigue, alternative social activities and laziness were salient barriers affecting their sport participation. Overall, these results provide empirical support for the decline in sport participation during ones transition to university. Future research needs to continue to understand the key changes occurring during this transition period, in an effort to develop a sustainable intervention to help students maintain their engagement in sports through this life change and beyond.
SCRI 2007 Presentation Slides
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