%0 Journal Article
%T Measured and Perceived Physical Fitness, Intention, and Self-Reported Physical Activity in Adolescence
%A Timo Jaakkola
%A Tracy Washington
%J Advances in Physical Education
%P 16-22
%@ 2164-0408
%D 2011
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/ape.2011.12004
%X Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations among measured physical fitness, perceived fitness, intention towards future physical activity and self-reported physical activity through junior high school years. Methods: Study participants included 122 Finnish students who were 13 years old during Grade 7. The sample was comprised of 80 girls and 42 boys from 3 junior high schools (Grades 7-9). During the autumn semester of Grade 7, students completed fitness tests and a questionnaire analyzing self-perception of their physical fitness. The questionnaire delivered at Grade 8 included intention towards future physical activity. At Grade 9 students¡¯ self-reported physical activity levels. Results: Structural Equation Modelling revealed an indirect path from physical fitness to self-reported physical activity via perceived physical fitness and intention towards future physical activity. The model also demonstrated a correlation between perceived physical fitness and physical activity. Squared multiple correlations revealed that perceived physical fitness explained 33 % of the actual physical fitness. Conclusions: The results of this study highlight the role of physical and cognitive variables in the process of adoption of <b>physical activity</b> in adolescence.
%K Physical Activity
%K Fitness
%K Self-Perceptions
%K Adolescents
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=8405