Table 1 Description of parental, peer and personal variables
Parental variables | Item (Parent questionnaire) | Response category |
|---|---|---|
Parental co-participation in PA; adapted from [31] | Thinking about the past few months, how often did you and/or the co-carer do the following things together with your child? | 1 = Never or rarely; 2 = Less than once/week; 3 = Once a week; 4 = About 2–3 times/week; 5 = About 4–6 times/week; 6 = Every day |
- I/we did physical activity, sport or exercise together with the child | ||
Parental logistic support for PA; adapted from [31] | Mean value of two items (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.90): | 1 = Never or rarely; 2 = Less than once/week; 3 = Once a week; 4 = About 2–3 times/week; 5 = About 4–6 times/week; 6 = Every day; 7 = Doesn’t applya |
Thinking about the past few months, how often were the following true? | ||
- The co-carer or I took the child to sports training/lessons | ||
- The child did sport or physical activity that the co-carer or I provided money for | ||
Parental praise of PA; adapted from [31] | Thinking about the past few months, how often was the following true? | 1 = Never or rarely; 2 = Less than once/week; 3 = Once a week; 4 = About 2–3 times/week; 5 = About 4–6 times/week; 6 = Every day; 7 = Doesn’t applya |
- The co-carer or I praised the child participating in physical activity, sport or exercise | ||
Parental control of PA; adapted from [32] | Mean value of four items (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.46): | 1 = Disagree; 2 = Slightly disagree; 3 = Neutral; 4 = Slightly agree; 5 = Agree |
Indicate how much you agree with following statements. | ||
- If I did not guide or regulate my child’s activities, (s)he would not be as active as (s)he should be | ||
- I think that my child should be active every day | ||
- I am careful to make sure that my child gets enough exercise | ||
- If my child says “I’m tired”, I try to get him/her to exercise anyway | ||
Parental concern about PA; adapted from [32] | How concerned are you about your child not getting enough physical activity? | 1 = Not concerned; 2 = A little concerned; 3 = Fairly concerned; 4 = Very concerned |
Peer variables; adapted from [31] | Item (Adolescent questionnaire) | Response category |
Peer modeling of PA | My closest friend does a lot of physical activity | 1 = Strongly agree; 2 = Agree; 3 = Neither; 4 = Disagree; 5 = Strongly disagree; 6 = Don’t knowb |
Peer enjoyment of PA | My closest friend enjoys physical activity or sports | 1 = Strongly agree; 2 = Agree; 3 = Neither; 4 = Disagree; 5 = Strongly disagree; 6 = Don’t knowb |
Peer interest in PA | My closest friend is not the sporty type | 1 = Strongly agree; 2 = Agree; 3 = Neither; 4 = Disagree; 5 = Strongly disagree; 6 = Don’t knowb |
Peer encouragement of PA | Mean value of three items (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.70): | 1 = Never/rarely; 2 = Sometimes; 3 = Often |
During the past year, how often have your friends said or done this: | ||
- Encouraged me to do more physical activity | ||
- Encouraged me to walk to or from school or to other places | ||
- Encouraged me to play sports | ||
Personal variables | Item (Adolescent questionnaire) | Response category |
Self-efficacy to overcome barriers; adapted from [34] | Mean value of nine items (Cronbach’s alpha =0.84): | 1 = Not at all sure; 2 = A bit sure; 3 = Fairly sure; 4 = Quite sure; 5 = Very sure |
I could be active even… | ||
- If there is no one to be active with | ||
- If I don’t have enough energy to be active | ||
- If I am not good at it | ||
- If I had no one to take me training | ||
- If my friends don’t take part | ||
- If the weather is bad | ||
- If I had a lot of homework to do | ||
- If I were busy going out with my friends | ||
- If others make fun of me | ||
Perceived internal barriers; adapted from [35] | Mean value of seven items (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.87): | 1 = Strongly agree; 2 = Agree; 3 = Neither; 4 = Disagree; 5 = Strongly disagree; 6 = Don’t knowb |
How much do you agree with the following statements? | ||
- I don’t have enough time for physical activity | ||
- I prefer to watch TV or play electronic games | ||
- I don’t like physical activity | ||
- I don’t think I’m very good at physical activity | ||
- I don’t like how being active physically makes me feel (e.g. hot, sweaty, out of breath) | ||
- I’m not the sporty type | ||
- I am too lazy/ can’t be bothered | ||
Perceived external barriers; adapted from [35] | Mean value of four items (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.66): | 1 = Strongly agree; 2 = Agree; 3 = Neither; 4 = Disagree; 5 = Strongly disagree; 6 = Don’t knowb |
How much do you agree with the following statements? | ||
- I don’t have anyone to be physically active with | ||
- I have a health problem or injury that prevents me from being physically active | ||
- I can’t afford to buy sports clothes or equipment, or pay sport/club fees | ||
- I think it’s too dark and cold in winter to spend more time outside |