Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Saulius Sukys, Ilona Tilindiene, Laima Trinkuniene
Summary: The study revealed a positive association between moderate to high levels of health literacy and leisure time physical activity among Lithuanian adolescents. Additionally, being male, belonging to a more affluent family, and having a father who exercises were significant predictors of adolescents' leisure time physical activity. The results underscore the importance of promoting physical activity among schoolchildren and integrating health literacy promotion into the school curriculum.
HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY
(2021)
Article
Pediatrics
Damir Sekulic, Daria Ostojic, Andrew Decelis, Jose Castro-Pinero, Tatjana Jezdimirovic, Patrik Drid, Ljerka Ostojic, Barbara Gilic
Summary: Scholastic factors may have different associations with physical activity levels in adolescents. During the pandemic lockdown, adolescents with better academic performance are more likely to maintain their physical activity levels.
Article
Sport Sciences
Andreas Froberg, Anna-Karin Lindroos, Lotta Moraeus, Emma Patterson, Eva Warensjo Lemming, Gisela Nyberg
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the association between participation in leisure-time organised physical activity (LTOPA) and dietary intake in Swedish adolescents. The study found that LTOPA was associated with lower sugar-sweetened beverages intake among boys and girls, higher fruit intake among boys, and lower vegetable intake among girls. However, LTOPA was unrelated to overall healthy eating index and candy intake.
JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Maija Puupponen, Jorma Tynjala, Asko Tolvanen, Raili Valimaa, Leena Paakkari
Summary: Between 2014 and 2018, the weekly energy drink consumption among Finnish adolescents increased, especially among girls. Factors such as gender, age, parental monitoring, school achievement, and health literacy influenced the consumption of energy drinks.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Alison Carver, Muhammad Akram, Anthony Barnett, Wendy Yajun Huang, Gemma Yang Gao, Robin R. Mellecker, Ester Cerin
Summary: This study identified a complex network of potential pathways influencing adolescents' school-based physical activity, with most effects being indirect. There were fewer significant pathways between household/family characteristics and objectively-measured MVPA at school compared to self-reported PA at school, with no indirect pathways identified for MVPA at school. Gender disparities among pathways were also identified, such as the significant association of the school PA-friendly index with MVPA after school only among girls.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
(2021)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Francesca Latino, Francesco Tafuri
Summary: This brief review aims to summarize the literature on the impact of physical activity interventions on cognitive function and academic performance. The research included different physical activity settings and suggested that physical activity produces important changes in the brain, which mediate enhancements in cognitive performance and academic achievement. The purpose of this work is to analyze how physical activity can improve cognitive health and academic performance among school-age children.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Karel Fromel, Josef Mitas, Dorota Groffik, Michal Kudlacek, Pavel Hap
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the preferences of team sports (TS) among Czech and Polish adolescents in different educational and sports environments, and the impact of agreement between preferred and participated TS on their physical activity (PA) levels and meeting PA recommendations. The results showed that agreement between preferences and participation in TS increased vigorous PA and had a significant effect on total PA. Those who preferred and participated in TS were more likely to meet PA recommendations.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Goncalo Santinha, Rafaela Oliveira, Luis Jorge Goncalves
Summary: Physical activity and sports play a crucial role in individuals' lives, especially during adolescence. This study investigates the reasons why young athletes choose to participate in sports and join specific clubs and examines the impact of COVID-19 on their routines. Findings indicate that factors such as family, age group, friends, proximity to sports facilities, teammates, and club conditions significantly influence adolescents' decision to engage in physical activity and select a sports club.
Review
Sport Sciences
Shannah Anico, Laura Wilson, Emma Eyre, Elizabeth Smith
Summary: The objectives of this review were to review the research on school-based run/walk programmes and their measurements of physical literacy (PL) and physical activity (PA)-related components, assess intervention methods and their impact on encouraging PL and PA. Ten studies were included in the final review, which showed promising results for run/walk programmes in favor of physical and affective development in PL. However, further high-quality studies are needed to draw firm conclusions.
JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Sangsoo Lee, Youngshin Lim
Summary: This study investigates the moderating role of family socioeconomic status (SES) on gender differences in adolescents' out-of-school physical activity (PA) and finds that the gender gap is smaller among adolescents from higher SES families, with this effect being more noticeable in countries with lower levels of gender inequality.
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Selina Seemueller, Franziska Beck, Anne Kerstin Reimers
Summary: Physical activity has numerous health benefits for people with physical disabilities, but activity levels are often below recommended levels. This systematic review explored the physical activity patterns of children and adolescents who use a wheelchair as their primary source of mobility. The review highlights the need for further research on the scope, types, and settings of physical activity in this group.
Article
Pediatrics
Gregory A. Walker, Corrine N. Seehusen, Aubrey Armento, Aaron J. Provance, Julie C. Wilson, David R. Howell
Summary: The study found that adolescent athletes from higher family affluence tend to engage in higher levels of sport specialization. Understanding the relationship between family affluence and sports specialization helps to better identify and monitor populations likely to specialize in a single sport.
CLINICAL PEDIATRICS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gerson Ferrari, Leandro F. M. Rezende, Alex A. Florindo, Gregore I. Mielke, Maria Fernanda Tourinho Peres
Summary: The study found that physical activity facilities and school environment are associated with total physical activity and domain-specific physical activity in adolescents. Schools with more sports courts, swimming pools, running tracks, and bike racks were more positively associated with adolescents' total physical activity levels.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
R. A. Smit, M. A. G. Kuipers, B. Federico, L. Clancy, J. Perelman, A. D. Rozema, A. E. Kunst
Summary: Smoking among adolescents is found to be negatively associated with their friends' physical activity levels (PAL). Adolescents are less likely to smoke weekly if they have friends who engage in more than 80 minutes of physical activity per day, regardless of their own individual PAL. The association between friends' PAL and adolescent smoking behavior is stronger for those with smoking friends.
PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Valter Cordeiro Barbosa Filho, Wallingson Michael Goncalves Pereira, Bianca de Oliveira Farias, Thereza Maria Magalhaes Moreira, Paulo Henrique Guerra, Ana Carolina Melo Queiroz, Victor Hugo Santos de Castro, Kelly Samara Silva
Summary: This scoping review examined interventions aimed at promoting physical activity (PA) and/or components of physical literacy (PL) in Brazilian school-aged children and adolescents. It found the need for interventions targeting all components of PL to contribute to an active lifestyle.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Health Policy & Services
Orkan Okan, Melanie Messer, Diane Levin-Zamir, Leena Paakkari, Kristine Sorensen
Summary: The SARS-CoV-2 virus causes COVID-19, and in addition to biomedical vaccines, a social vaccine can be used as a health promotion strategy to prevent infection. A social vaccine involves social and political mobilization through interventions such as health communication and education to address environmental factors and enable communities to cope with COVID-19. Health literacy plays a significant role in empowering individuals and communities to understand and apply health information, and can be considered as a key public health approach to combat COVID-19.
HEALTH PROMOTION INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Sport Sciences
K. Toivo, H. Vaha-Ypya, P. Kannus, K. Tokola, L. Alanko, O. J. Heinonen, R. Korpelainen, J. Parkkari, K. Savonen, H. Selanne, S. Kokko, U. M. Kujala, J. Villberg, T. Vasankari
Summary: This study describes the amount and intensity of physical activity measured by accelerometry among adolescents participating in organized sports and their non-participating peers. The study found that participating in organized sports makes it easier to meet the recommended 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SPORT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Tessa Robertsson, Sami Kokko, Eero Lilja, Anu E. Castaneda
Summary: This study compared the prevalence of psychological distress between foreign-born and general Finnish populations, and found that foreign-born populations had a higher prevalence. The study also examined the differences in prevalence between nine regions of origin and identified socio-demographic and migration-related factors associated with distress among foreign-born populations.
SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Editorial Material
Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism
Stuart J. H. Biddle, Martin S. Hagger, Sami Kokko, Montse C. Ruiz, Taru Lintunen, Keegan Knittle
JOURNAL OF SPORT AND HEALTH SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Maija Puupponen, Jorma Tynjala, Raili Valimaa, Leena Paakkari
Summary: This study found that even infrequent consumption of energy drinks is associated with various negative health indicators. Frequent consumers of energy drinks are more likely to engage in multiple health-compromising behaviors and have negative health perceptions. These findings support concerns about the negative associations between energy drink consumption and health, and suggest the need for policy measures to restrict the sale of energy drinks to adolescents.
Article
Sport Sciences
Tuula Aira, Sami Petteri Kokko, Olli Juhani Heinonen, Raija Korpelainen, Jimi Kotkajuuri, Jari Parkkari, Kai Savonen, Kerttu Toivo, Arja Uusitalo, Maarit Valtonen, Jari Villberg, Onni Niemela, Henri Vaha-Ypya, Tommi Vasankari
Summary: This study aimed to examine the associations between longitudinal physical activity (PA) patterns and the development of cardiometabolic risk factors from adolescence to young adulthood. The findings revealed that decreasing PA from moderate to low intensity was associated with increased insulin and body mass index (BMI), while decreasing PA from high to moderate intensity was associated with decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and increased glucose. On the other hand, increasing PA was associated with decreased blood pressure.
SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE & SCIENCE IN SPORTS
(2023)
Article
Pediatrics
Jasmine Gustafsson, Nelli Lyyra, Inga Jasinskaja-Lahti, Nina Simonsen, Henri Lahti, Markus Kulmala, Kristiina Ojala, Leena Paakkari
Summary: This study examined the mental health profiles of Finnish adolescents before and after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It found that factors such as gender, maternal monitoring, social support, online communication, home atmosphere, school climate, and self-rated health were strongly associated with poorer mental health profiles. In addition, low subjective health literacy and the importance of teacher support increased after the pandemic.
CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY AND MENTAL HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Health Policy & Services
Aurelie Van Hoye, Aoife Lane, Kieran Dowd, Jan Seghers, Alex Donaldson, Linda Ooms, Sami Kokko, Susanna Geidne
Summary: A recent literature review shows that the settings-based approach for sports clubs is not well understood and implemented. This study proposes a logic model for health promoting sports clubs (HPSC) and describes the interactions between different levels of the HPSC model based on qualitative research with experts in the field.
HEALTH PROMOTION INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Jessica Balla, Juho Polet, Sami Kokko, Mirja Hirvensalo, Tommi Vasankari, Taru Lintunen, Martin S. S. Hagger
Summary: This study investigated potentially modifiable factors related to physical activity intentions in Finnish adolescents using a behavioral theory. The results showed that habits, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and self-reported past behavior were associated with physical activity intentions. Additionally, social cognition constructs partially mediated the effects of past physical activity and socio-structural and socio-environmental factors on intentions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Tuula Aira, Tommi Vasankari, Olli J. Heinonen, Raija Korpelainen, Jimi Kotkajuuri, Jari Parkkari, Kai Savonen, Kerttu Toivo, Arja Uusitalo, Maarit Valtonen, Jari Villberg, Henri Vaha-Ypya, Sami P. Kokko
Summary: Various factors influence longitudinal physical activity patterns during the transition to young adulthood, with sports club participation playing a role in maintaining activity levels. The quality of father-adolescent communication at age 15 may impact sustained physical activity, while healthier diet choices and non-smoking habits as a young adult are associated with more positive physical activity development.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Laura Heikkila, Raija Korpelainen, Tuula Aira, Lauri Alanko, Olli J. Heinonen, Sami Kokko, Jari Parkkari, Kai Savonen, Kerttu Toivo, Maarit Valtonen, Tommi Vasankari, Jari Villberg, Marja Vanhala
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the health promotion orientation of Finnish youth sports clubs and explore the associations between health promotion orientation, coach's nutritional discussions, and fruit and/or vegetable consumption among club participants. Most sports clubs showed a high health promotion orientation, but there was significant variation between the clubs.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Sport Sciences
Katja Rinta-Antila, Pasi Koski, Tuula Aira, Olli J. Heinonen, Raija Korpelainen, Jari Parkkari, Kai Savonen, Kerttu Toivo, Arja Uusitalo, Maarit Valtonen, Tommi Vasankari, Jari J. Villberg, Sami Kokko
Summary: This study explored sports-related factors predicting organized sports participation in emerging adulthood. The study found that starting at a younger age and having a competitive sports background were associated with sustained sports participation.
SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE & SCIENCE IN SPORTS
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Aurelie Van Hoye, Susanna Geidne, Anne Vuillemin, Kieran Dowd, Iva Glibo, Sandra Heck, Bjarne Ibsen, Stacey Johnson, Melanie Kingsland, Sami Kokko, Aoife Lane, Linda Ooms, Marie Overbye, Catherine Woods, Geraldine Zeimers, Stephen Whiting, Mathieu Winand
Summary: BackgroundResearchers and policy-makers have recognized the underexploited potential of organized sports in promoting health. This study provides guidelines for national sports federations to invest in health promotion, based on the principles of health promoting sports clubs and an analysis of practical tools and proven strategies. The guidelines include clarifying the concept of a health promoting sports federation (HPSF), adapting the settings-based approach to national sports federations, and suggesting practical intervention strategies.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism
Henna M. Leino, Leila Hurmerinta, Birgitta Sandberg, Sami Kokko, Jari Lyytimaeki, Petri Tapio, Tommi Vasankari
Summary: Insufficient physical activity poses a growing threat to personal well-being and public health. Despite significant research on factors influencing physical activity, the impact of family constellations on leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) remains understudied. This study examines the influence of family constellations on LTPA through interviews with 89 working adults living with a spouse and/or children. Findings suggest that individuals have escapist and integrative motivations for LTPA, shaped by their family structures. The study identifies four dimensions of LTPA: solitary escapism, co-escapism, integrative escapism, and integration. It also highlights the bidirectional relationship between family and LTPA, emphasizing the importance of considering family dynamics in promoting physical activity.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Pauliina Husu, Henri Vaha-Ypya, Kari Tokola, Harri Sievanen, Ari Manttari, Sami Kokko, Kaisu M. Kaikkonen, Kai Savonen, Tommi Vasankari
Summary: This article presents the protocol of the FINFIT 2021 study, which aims to measure fitness and physical behavior in a population-based sample of adults and analyze their associations with various health indicators. The study utilizes validated measurement methods and questionnaires to collect comprehensive data. The findings will be compared with register-based data on diseases and healthcare utilization in the future to assess the impact on individuals' health and well-being.
METHODS AND PROTOCOLS
(2022)
