Is Perceived in jury Risk a Barrier to Physical Activity Participation in Children?

Abstract

Background: Recent trends indicate a decrease in physical activity participation and a rise in overweight and obesity among Canadian children, placing children at risk for poor long term health outcomes. In developing strategies to reverse and prevent this trend it is important to understand the potential etiological factors involved. According to the Health Belief Model, the presence of perceived barriers decreases the likelihood of engaging in preventative health practices. One such potential barrier to participation is the injury risk posed by common physical activities. Objective: To examine the association between physical activity participation, body mass index and injury risk perception in children. Design/Methods: A cross-sectional study obtained information from fifth-grade students at a public school in Toronto, Ontario. Activity levels were measured using a 24-h recall instrument, the Self-Administered Physical Activity Checklist. Children completed measures of self-reported physical activity (minutes of participation) and injury risk perception (3-point Likert scale) for 25 physical activities and 3 sedentary activities. Height and weight were measured and body mass index was calculated for each child. Correlations were assessed using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Results: 20 students (9 boys, 11 girls), all of Asian background, participated in the study. Mean age was 10.6+/-0.6 years. Boys and girls did not differ in any of the reported measures. Although not statistically significant, children perceiving a higher injury risk had a lower self-reported participation in physical activities (r = -0.313, p > 0.05), a higher level of sedentary behaviour (r = 0.185, p > 0.05) and a higher BMI (r = 0.023, p > 0.05) than those who reported a lower perceived injury risk. Reported participation was decreased in activities for which children perceived a higher injury risk (r = -0.512, p < 0.01). Such activities included hockey, bicycling and football. Conclusions: This study suggests there may be an association between children's perception of injury risk and participation in physical activities. This study also acknowledges role of injury risk as a barrier to participation in physical activity. Future health promotion strategies should focus on physical activities that are perceived as safe. To more definitively determine the strength and magnitude of this relationship a larger sample of children from diverse socio-economic areas is required.