Differences in the correlates of physical activity between urban and rural Canadian youth.
BACKGROUND
Despite the benefits of physical activity (PA), a significant proportion of youth remains inactive. Studies assessing differences in the correlates of PA among urban and rural youth are scarce, and such investigations can help identify subgroups of the population that may need to be targeted for special intervention programs. The purpose of this study was to assess differences in the correlates of PA between Canadian urban and rural youth.


METHODS
The sample consisted of 1398 adolescents from 4 urban schools and 1290 adolescents from 4 rural schools. Mean age of the participants was 15.6 +/- 1.3 years. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to examine the association between self-reported PA and a number of demographic, psychological, behavioral, and social correlates.


RESULTS
Common correlates between the 2 locations included gender (with girls being less active than boys) perceptions of athletic/physical ability, self-efficacy, interest in organized group activities, use of recreation time, and friends' and siblings' frequency of participation in PA. Active commuting to school and taking a physical education class were unique correlates of PA at the multivariate level in urban and rural students, respectively. Variance explained in PA ranged from 43% for urban school students to 38% for rural school students.


CONCLUSIONS
Although more similarities than discrepancies were found in the correlates of PA between the 2 geographical locations, findings from this study strengthen the policies that argue for a coordinated multisector approach to the promotion of PA in youth, which include the family, school, and community.
Loucaides
Constantinos A
CA
School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 5-10 University Extension Centre, 8303-112 St, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2T4. conlou@avacom.net
Plotnikoff
Ronald C
RC
Bercovitz
Kim
K
D000293:Adolescent; D002170:Canada; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010809:Physical Fitness; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*