Background: The aim of this study is to explore if perception of an activity-friendly environment is associated with more physical activity and fewer screen-based activities among adolescents. Methods: We collected self-reported data in 2014 via the Health Behavior in School-aged Children cross-sectional study from four European countries (n = 13,800, mean age = 14.4, 49.4% boys). We explored the association of perceived environment (e.g., "There are other children nearby home to go out and play with") with physical activity and screen-based activities using a binary logistic regression model adjusted for age, gender, family affluence and country. Results: An environment perceived as activity-friendly was associated with higher odds that adolescents meet recommendations for physical activity (odds ratio (OR) for one standard deviation (SD) change = 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-1.18) and lower odds for excessive screen-based activities (OR for 1 SD better = 0.93, 95% CI 0.88-0.98). Conclusions: Investment into an activity-friendly environment may support the promotion of active life styles in adolescence.

Bielefeld University School of Public Health PO Box 10 01 31 D 33501 Bielefeld Germany

Department of Community and Occupational Medicine University Medical Center Groningen University of Groningen A Deusinglaan 1 9713 AV Groningen The Netherlands

Department of Health Psychology Faculty of Medicine Pavol Josef Safarik University in Kosice Tr SNP 1 040 11 Kosice Slovak Republic

Department of Social Medicine and Public Health Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Palacky University Olomouc 771 11 Olomouc Czech Republic

Faculty of Physical Culture Institute of Active Lifestyle Palacky University Olomouc Tr Miru 117 771 11 Olomouc Czech Republic

Graduate School Kosice Institute for Society and He ealth Pavol Josef Safarik University in Kosic Tr SNP 1 040 11 Kosice Slovak Republic

Olomouc University Social Health Institute Palacky University Olomouc Univerzitni 22 771 11 Olomouc Czech Republic

The Jozef Pilsudski University of Physical Education Faculty of Physical Education Marymoncka 34 Str 00 968 Warsaw Poland

Zobrazit více v PubMed

Bauman A.E., Reis R.S., Sallis J.F., Wells J.C., Loos R.J., Martin B.W. Correlates of physical activity: Why are some people physically active and others not? Lancet. 2012;380:258–271. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60735-1. PubMed DOI

Sigmundova D., Sigmund E., Hamrik Z., Kalman M. Trends of overweight and obesity, physical activity and sedentary behaviour in Czech schoolchildren: HBSC study. Eur. J. Public Health. 2013 doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckt085. PubMed DOI PMC

Sallis J.F., Cerin E., Conway T.L., Adams M.A., Frank L.D., Pratt M., Salvo D., Schipperijn J., Smith G., Cain K.L., et al. Physical activity in relation to urban environments in 14 cities worldwide: A cross-sectional study. Lancet. 2016;387:2207–2217. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01284-2. PubMed DOI PMC

Carson V., Hunter S., Kuzik N., Gray C.E., Poitras V.J., Chaput J.P., Saunders T.J., Katzmarzyk P.T., Okely A.D., Connor Gorber S., et al. Systematic review of sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth: An update. Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. 2016;41(Suppl. S3):S240–S265. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2015-0630. PubMed DOI

Inchley J., Currie D., Young T., Samdal O., Torsheim T., Augustson L., Mathison F., Aleman-Diaz A., Molcho M., Weber M., et al. Growing up Unequal: Gender and Socioeconomic Differences in Young People’s Health and Well-Being. Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Study: International Report from the 2013/2014 Survey. WHO Regional Office for Europe; Copenhagen, Denmark: 2016. Health Policy for Children and Adolescents. No. 7.

WHO . Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health. World Health Organisation; Geneva, Switzerland: 2010. PubMed

Tremblay M.S., Leblanc A.G., Janssen I., Kho M.E., Hicks A., Murumets K., Colley R.C., Duggan M. Canadian sedentary behaviour guidelines for children and youth. Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. 2011;36:59–64. doi: 10.1139/H11-012. PubMed DOI

Kalman M., Inchley J., Sigmundova D., Iannotti R.J., Tynjälä J.A., Hamrik Z., Haug E., Bucksch J. Secular trends in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in 32 countries from 2002 to 2010: A cross-national perspective. Eur. J. Public Health. 2015;25:37–40. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckv024. PubMed DOI

Bucksch J., Inchley J., Hamrik Z., Finne E., Kolip P., The HBSC Study Group Germany Trends in television time, non-gaming PC use and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among German adolescents 2002–2010. BMC Public Health. 2014;14:351. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-351. PubMed DOI PMC

Currie C., Zanotti C., Morgan A., Currie D., de Looze M., Roberts C., Samdal O., Smith O.R.F., Barnekow V., editors. Social Determinants of Health and Well-Being among Young People. Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Study: International Report from the 2009/2010 Survey. WHO Regional Office for Europe; Copenhagen, Denmark: 2012. Health Policy for Children and Adolescents, No. 6.

Kopcakova J., Dankulincova Veselska Z., Madarasova Geckova A., Klein D., van Dijk J.P., Reijneveld S.A. Are the school environment and degree of urbanization supportive for being more physically active and engaging in less screen-based behaviour among adolescents? Eur. J. Public Health. 2016 submitted. PubMed

Sigmundova D., Sigmund E., Vokacova J., Kopcakova J. Parent-Child Associations in Pedometer-Determined Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour on Weekdays and Weekends in Random Samples of Families in the Czech Republic. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2014;11:7163–7181. doi: 10.3390/ijerph110707163. PubMed DOI PMC

Ding D., Sallis J.F., Kerr J., Lee S., Rosenberg D.E. Neighborhood environment and physical activity among youth: A review. Am. J. Prev. Med. 2011;41:442–455. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2011.06.036. PubMed DOI

Ommundsen Y., Page A., Ku P.W., Cooper A.R. Cross-cultural, age and gender validation of a computerised questionnaire measuring personal, social and environmental associations with children’s physical activity: The European Youth Heart Study. Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Act. 2008;5:29. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-5-29. PubMed DOI PMC

Roberts C., Freeman J., Samdal O., Schnohr C.W., de Looze M.E., Nic Gabhainn S., Iannotti R., Rasmussen M., International HBSC Study Group The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study: Methodological developments and current tensions. Int. J. Public Health. 2009;54(Suppl. S2):140–150. doi: 10.1007/s00038-009-5405-9. PubMed DOI PMC

Elgar F.J., Pförtner T.K., Moor I., De Clercq B., Stevens G.W., Currie C. Socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent health 2002–2010: A time-series analysis of 34 countries participating in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. Lancet. 2015;385:2088–2095. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61460-4. PubMed DOI

Torsheim T., Eriksson L., Schnohr C.W., Hansen F., Bjarnason T., Välimaa R. Screen-based activities and physical complaints among adolescents from the Nordic countries. BMC Public Health. 2010;10:324. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-324. PubMed DOI PMC

Haug E., Torsheim T., Samdal O. Physical environmental characteristics and individual interests as correlates of physical activity in Norwegian secondary schools: The health behaviour in school-aged children study. Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Act. 2008;5:47. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-5-47. PubMed DOI PMC

Haug E., Torsheim T., Samdal O. Local school policies increase physical activity in Norwegian secondary schools. Health Promot. Int. 2010;25:63–72. doi: 10.1093/heapro/dap040. PubMed DOI PMC

Millstein R.A., Strobel J., Kerr J., Sallis J.F., Norman G.J., Durant N., Harris S., Saelens B.E. Home, school, and neighborhood environment factors and youth physical activity. Pediatr. Exerc. Sci. 2011;23:487–503. doi: 10.1123/pes.23.4.487. PubMed DOI

Bringolf-Isler B., Mäder U., Dössegger A., Hofmann H., Puder J.J., Braun-Fahrländer C., Kriemler S. Regional differences of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in Swiss children are not explained by socio-demographics or the built environment. Int. J. Public Health. 2015;60:291–300. doi: 10.1007/s00038-014-0645-8. PubMed DOI PMC

Davison K.K., Lawson C.T. Do attributes in the physical environment influence children’s physical activity? A review of the literature. Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Act. 2006;3:19. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-3-19. PubMed DOI PMC

Veitch J., Timperio A., Crawford D., Abbott G., Giles-Corti B. Is the neighbourhood environment associated with sedentary behaviour outside of school hours among children? Ann. Behav. Med. 2011;41:333–341. doi: 10.1007/s12160-011-9260-6. PubMed DOI

Christian H., Zubrick S.R., Knuiman M., Nathan A., Foster S., Villanueva K., Giles-Corti B. Nowhere to Go and Nothing to Do but Sit? Youth Screen Time and the Association with Access to Neighborhood Destinations. Environ. Behav. 2015 doi: 10.1177/0013916515606189. DOI

Pearson N., Braithwaite R.E., Biddle S.J.H., van Sluijs E.M.F., Atkin A.J. Associations between sedentary behaviour and physical activity in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Obes. Rev. 2014;15:666–675. doi: 10.1111/obr.12188. PubMed DOI PMC

Surveillance of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in czech children and adolescents: a scoping review of the literature from the past two decades

Adolescent Health Literacy and Neighbourhood Features: HBSC Findings from Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia

Associations between perceived social and physical environmental variables and physical activity and screen time among adolescents in four European countries