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The main aim of this study was to compare fitness levels of Indian high school boys in two cohorts: 1977 and 1997. A secondary aim was to identify if the same problem areas or strengths still exist in 1997 as in 1977 or if the levels of fitness have further deteriorated or improved, as well as the establishment of norms for boys 14 - 18 years. Ten different Secondary schools from the Durban Metropolitan area participated in this study. The test battery included eight tests measuring four components of motor fitness based on the Fleishman study. The tests that were used consisted of fifty metre shuttle run, fifty metre dash, sit-ups, pull-ups, medicine ball put, shot-put, 250m shuttle run and 12 minute run/walk test. Data from 500 hundred boys were included in the research analysis and these were categorized into 5 different age groups, 13,6 - 14,6 years; 14,7 - 15,6 years; 15,7 - 16,6 years; 16,7 - 17,6 years and 17,7 - 18,6 years. Basic statistical procedures were used to determine the normality of the samples for height and weight in each age group. Standard score tables were drawn for each age group. A paired t-test was used to determine if a significant difference between the means existed. The level of significance was set at 0,05. The means of both studies were compared to ascertain the difference in fitness levels in the two cohorts. The analysis of the data revealed that the fitness status of adolescent boys have deteriorated over two decades. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2000.

The present study examined the multilayered social contexts that foster or hinder adolescent girls’ participation in physical activity. The current study consisted of two phases, prospective interviews followed by focus group discussions. The interviews utilized a guided, life history format with 7 girls of diverse backgrounds, ages 9-15 years old over a 4-year period. Key themes that emerged in the interviews were used to inform the focus group discussions. In total, 4 focus groups discussions were conducted with 13 girls of diverse backgrounds, ages 12-13 years old. Both the interviews and focus group discussions were transcribed and analyzed for themes using a constructivist grounded theory methodology. Data analysis was informed by the feminist theoretical approach, with an emphasis on social and contextual factors. The domains of school, family, peers, and embodied experiences of physicality emerged as facilitative contexts to engagement with physical activity during childhood. During adolescence, however, these contexts became barriers to physical activity. This study suggests that physical activity promotion programs for adolescent girls require multifaceted strategies, with a particular emphasis on the intersection of gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnocultural/racial heritage.

The present study examined the multilayered social contexts that foster or hinder adolescent girls’ participation in physical activity. The current study consisted of two phases, prospective interviews followed by focus group discussions. The interviews utilized a guided, life history format with 7 girls of diverse backgrounds, ages 9-15 years old over a 4-year period. Key themes that emerged in the interviews were used to inform the focus group discussions. In total, 4 focus groups discussions were conducted with 13 girls of diverse backgrounds, ages 12-13 years old. Both the interviews and focus group discussions were transcribed and analyzed for themes using a constructivist grounded theory methodology. Data analysis was informed by the feminist theoretical approach, with an emphasis on social and contextual factors. The domains of school, family, peers, and embodied experiences of physicality emerged as facilitative contexts to engagement with physical activity during childhood. During adolescence, however, these contexts became barriers to physical activity. This study suggests that physical activity promotion programs for adolescent girls require multifaceted strategies, with a particular emphasis on the intersection of gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnocultural/racial heritage.

The aim of this thesis is to provide an overview of the health of Pacific Islands young people in New Zealand, with a particular emphasis on the effects of their dietary and lifestyle behaviours upon long-term health. This research is based on the observation that noncommunicable, or life-style, diseases are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality for Pacific Islands people in New Zealand, that these diseases are invariably attributable to dietary and lifestyle habits, and that these habits become instilled during the adolescent period. Three main methods were undertaken to achieve this aim. The first constituted a review of literature concerning the health of Pacific Islands people in New Zealand, including a discussion of what health means to Pacific Islands people, along with the main health issues that this population encounters. The importance of food to Pacific Islands people is also considered in this review, along with the influence of diet on Pacific Islands people's disease patterns. Existing studies concerning the dietary habits of Pacific Islands youth are also detailed. The second stage of the research involved conducting research into the health of Pacific Islands young people in Christchurch, based in part on the methodology and findings of these previous studies. As the thesis will show, while Christchurch has the fourth largest Pacific Islands population in New Zealand, this population is considerably smaller than those in other main centres. This means that Pacific Islands people have less health resources and services available to them. This research revealed that Pacific Islands young people in Christchurch, and in New Zealand in general, consume a diet that is high in fat and low in other nutrients. Research into the health of Pacific Islands young people is deemed necessary to help to counter the high incidence of lifestyle related diseases in the adult population. Further, by identifying potential health outlooks for the future generation of Pacific Islands adults, research in Christchurch will be useful in ensuring that services and resources to meet Pacific Islands people's specific health needs.

Group mentoring has received much less empirical attention than one-on-one mentoring and it is not clear whether group programs can be expected to yield similar outcomes or whether the mechanisms of change are similar compared to one-on-one mentoring programs. This study examined the effects of a group mentoring intervention on quality of relationships with parents and peers for 71 program participants relative to a comparison group of 31 students. Further, analyses were performed among program participants only to determine effects of sense of belonging with mentor and mentoring group on changes in quality of relationships with parents and peers. Findings revealed no program effects, yet among program participants, findings revealed that sense of belonging with mentor and group are important in predicting changes in quality of relationship with fathers and peers.

The relevance of motivation has saturated many physical literacy definitions (Mandigo et al., 2006); however, the study of motivation in this context has generated minimal attention. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore motivation with respect to physical literacy related to self-reported variety of physical activity engagement and predilection towards physical activity. Participants included 218 male and female students in grades 4-6. Deci and Ryan’s (1985) basic needs theory guided a thematic analysis of open-ended questions from the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy. Results indicated participants’ engagement in a variety of physical activities, and predilection towards physical activity was influenced by self-reported need satisfaction. Competence related more to engagement in a wide variety of physical activities while relatedness was found to relate more to predilection towards physical activity. Children who engaged in their physical activities for fun, and health benefits on average participated in a greater variety of physical activities.

Purpose: When the prevalence of physical teen dating violence (TDV) victimization is examined at the state level, significant variation exists; the prevalence ranges from 7.4% in Oklahoma and Vermont to 17.8% in Louisiana. Using U.S. states as the unit of analysis, this study sought to determine whether gender inequality is a societal level risk factor for TDV victimization. Method: Data measuring physical TDV victimization were obtained from the 2009 YRBS. To measure the level of gender inequality in each state, the Gender Inequality Index (GII) was calculated using the procedure described in the United Nations’ Human Development Report. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the association between TDV victimization, the GII, and the indicators of the GII. Results: Of the 40 states included in analyses, the GII was significantly associated with the state prevalence of both total TDV victimization (r=.323, p=.042) and female TDV victimization (r=.353, p=.026). Subsequent to removal of the outlying case of Oklahoma, the GII was also significantly associated with male TDV victimization (r=.366, p=.022). Several individual GII indicators were significantly associated with TDV victimization after removing the outlying case. Ordinary least squares regression was used to create a model for TDV victimization and gender inequality. Conclusion: This is the first study to examine societal level gender inequality as a risk factor for state level TDV victimization using nationally representative data on school youth. As policy-makers implement TDV prevention policy at the state level, further research understanding potential macro-level risk factors is particularly important.

The goal of this study was to investigate self-efficacy and goal choice among acting-out adolescents in comparison to nonacting-out adolescents. One hundred and sixteen adolescents between the ages of 13 and 16 participated. The adolescents were categorized as either acting-out or nonacting-out on the basis of their score on the Child Behavior Checklist-Teacher's Report Form (Achenbach & Edelbrock, 1986), as well as on corroborated reports made by school administrators. Fifty-eight acting-out and 58 nonacting-out adolescents completed a questionnaire packet containing measures of self-efficacy, locus of control, self-mage, and goal choice. In addition, each adolescent was interviewed and administered a brief intelligence measure. With all demographic variables covaried, the primary findings of the study were that acting-out as compared to nonacting-out adolescents experienced more incidents of failure, displayed lower general self-efficacy scores, greater external loci of control, and chose goals that were vague or less specific. The negative experiences associated with behavioral problems, such as academic failure, apparently lower adolescents' self-beliefs and abilities to specify their goals. Despite their experiential differences, however, acting-out and nonacting-out adolescents displayed similar levels of social self-efficacy, real self-image, and ideal self-image, as well as similar goal setting abilities in areas other than goal specificity. All adolescents chose a comparable number of goals, as well as comparable levels of goal difficulty, goal commitment, and procedural knowledge. The stage of adolescence with its many changes, demands, and uncertainties apparently leaves most youths with comparable self-images and goal setting abilities, regardless of whether or not they have negative experiences of social and academic failure.