title: Multi-Dimensional Interacting Constraints on Physical Activity Behaviours in the Finnish Population.
abstract: Finnish sports organisations, local and federal government, and healthcare organisations have widely adopted the World Health Organization and national recommendations for physical activity for different age groups. However, studies have indicated that only 46 % of 3-year-old preschool children, approximately 50 % of primary school students (7-12 years), 10-17 % of secondary school students (13-15 years) and 16 % of Finnish adults (20-54 years) attain those recommendations. In Finland there are 33,620 built sports facilities and over 9000 sport clubs, meaning there are many possibilities for physical activity, yet people are still rather inactive. In this paper we argue that availability of facilities, although an important element, is not enough to promote physical activity. It is possible that the current built physical environmental design does not fulfil people's needs regarding participation in physical activity. More emphasis should be placed on the design and operation of the facilities to develop new affordances for physical activity.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland. aki.i.karjalainen@jyu.fi.
authors.forename: Aki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karjalainen
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Jarmo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liukkonen
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kokko
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jaakkola
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004779:Environment Design; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D005160:Facility Design and Construction; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult