With dramatic increases in obesity in North America and declining levels of physical activity (PA), identification of the determinants of PA in children that are amenable to improvement, is a public health priority. / The purpose of this thesis is fourfold: to identify factors that predict decline in PA among school children; to investigate if selected (school-level) opportunities for PA at school are associated with overall (student-level) PA behaviour; to describe school-based opportunities for PA; and finally, to identify environmental correlates of 'high opportunity' schools. / Not participating in school-based team sports predicted decline to an inactive status after one year in boys and after two years in girls. Other one-year predictors of decline among boys included moderate (Vs high) baseline PA (odds ratio (OR) = 1.66, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.91, 3.05, low self-efficacy (OR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.03, 2.71)), born outside Canada (OR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.31, 3.46) and Asian origin (OR = 1.81, 95% CI: 0.93, 3.55) in boys and moderate PA (OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.10, 3.32), low self-efficacy (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.15, 2.49), watching ≥4 TV programs per day (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 0.97, 2.02), mother unemployed (OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.07, 2.23), and grade 5 (Vs. grade 4) (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 0.94, 1.93) in girls. Two-year predictors included moderate baseline PA (OR = 2.52, 95% CI: 0.84, 7.53, and born outside Canada (OR = 1.96, 95% CI: 0.91, 4.20) in boys and moderate baseline PA (OR = 2.75, 95% CI: 1.01, 7.49), watching 4 or more TV programs per day (OR = 1.93, 95% CI: 0.99, 3.74), and born outside Canada (OR = 1.85, 95% CI: 0.96, 3.55) in girls. In the second analysis, 8% of the variance in children's PA behaviour was at the between-school level. MLM analyses did not identify significant main effects of either 'high PE' or 'sports playing fields' for physical activity outcomes. However, significant cross-level interactions were identified, such that overweight boys who attended high PE schools and/or schools equipped with sports playing fields reported higher levels of PA and were less likely to be inactive than overweight boys attending schools that did not offer these opportunities. In the third analysis, there was substantial variation in PA opportunities between schools. Higher opportunity for PA at school was associated with role modeling of PA by school principals (OR = 2.40, 95% CI: 1.23, 3.46); high interest in links to the municipality (OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.18, 3,21); fewer barriers related to cost and human r / These findings illustrate the central role of the school environment in influencing children's activity levels, and provide direction to program and policy makers interested in enhancing opportunities for PA available to children at school, and in helping children maintain active lifestyles. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.84467 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Barnett, Tracie |
| Contributors | O'Loughlin, Jennifer (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002141351, proquestno: AAINQ98200, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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