Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
Volume 41, Issue 3 , Pages 152-160 , May 2009

Barriers to and Suggestions for a Healthful, Active Lifestyle as Perceived by Rural and Urban Costa Rican Adolescents

  • Rafael Monge-Rojas, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Costa Rican Institute for Research and Education on Nutrition and Health (INCIENSA), Ministry of Health, Tres Ríos, Costa Rica
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress for correspondence: Rafael Monge-Rojas, PhD, INCIENSA, Apartado 4-2250, Tres Ríos, Costa Rica; Phone: (506) 279-9911; Fax: (506) 279-5546
    • ,
  • Carlos Garita-Arce, MS

      Affiliations

    • Comprehensive Healthcare Program for Adolescents, Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), San José, Costa Rica
    • ,
  • Marta Sánchez-López, MS

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychology, Universidad Nacional (UNA), Heredia Costa Rica
    • ,
  • Uriyoán Colón-Ramos, ScD

      Affiliations

    • Behavioral Research Program, National Cancer Institute (NCI), Bethesda, MD

References 

  1. World Health Organization. Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO; 2004;
  2. Sallis JF, Linton LS, Kraft MK. The first active living research conference: growth of a transdiciplinary field. Am J Prev Med. 2005;28:93S–95S
  3. Hallal P, Victora C, Azevedo M, Wells J. Adolescent physical activity and health: a systematic review. Sport Med. 2006;36:1019–1030
  4. Biddle S, Gorely T, Stensel D. Health-enhancing physical activity and sedentary behavior in children and adolescents. J Sports Sci. 2004;22:679–701
  5. Trost SG, Pate RR, Sallis JF, et al. Age and gender differences in objectively measured physical activity in youth. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002;34:350–355
  6. Gordon-Larsen P, Nelson MC, Popkin BM. Longitudinal physical activity and sedentary behavior trends: adolescence to adulthood. Am J Prev Med. 2004;27:371–378
  7. Malina R. Tracking of physical activity and physical fitness across the life span. Res Q Excerc Sport. 1996;67:48–57
  8. Monge-Rojas R, Beita O. Prevalence of coronary heart disease risk factors in Costa Rican adolescents. J Adolesc Health. 2000;27:210–217
  9. Uauy R, Albala C, Kain J. Obesity trends in Latin America: transiting from under to overweight. J Nutr. 2001;131:893S–899S
  10. Monge-Rojas R, Garita C, Sánchez M, Muñoz L. Barriers to and motivators for healthful eating as perceived by rural and urban Costa Rican adolescents. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2005;37:33–40
  11. Miles M, Huberman AM. Qualitative Data Analysis. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications; 1994;
  12. Ministerio de Educación. Programa de Educación Física para Tercer y Cuarto Ciclo. San José, Costa Rica: MEP; 2007;
  13. Ommundsen Y, Klasson-Heggebo L, Anderssen S. Psycho-social and environmental correlates of location-specific physical activity among 9- and 15-year old Norwegian males and females: The European Youth Heart Study. Int J Behav Nutr Act. 2006;3:32–44
  14. Giles-Corti B, Donovan R. The relative influence of individual, social, and physical environment determinants of physical activity. Soc Sci Med. 2002;54:1793–1812
  15. Von Ah D, Ebert S, Nganvitroj A, Park N, Kang DH. Predictors of health behaviors in college students. J Adv Nur. 2003;48:463–474
  16. Wharf J, Gaul C, Gibbson S, Van Gyn G. Factors influencing physical activity levels among Canadian youth. Can J Public Health. 2003;94:45–51
  17. Rees R, Kavanagh J, Shepherd H, et al. Young people and physical activity: a systematic review matching their views to effective interventions. Health Educ Pract. 2006;21:806–825
  18. Loucaides C, Plotnkoff R, Bercovitz K. Differences in the correlates of physical activity between urban and rural Canadian youth. J Sch Health. 2007;77:164–170
  19. Ministerio de Educación. Informe Nacional: Evaluación de la Salud Física de los Estudiantes de la Educación General Básica. Convenio MEP-UCR (IIMEC). 2002;
  20. Pan American Health Organization. Global Strategy on Health Eating, Physical Activity and Health (DPAS). Implementation Plan for Latin America and the Caribbean 2006-2007. Washington, DC: PAHO; 2006;
  21. Sallis JF, Conway T, Prochaska J, et al. The association of school environments with youth physical activity. Am J Public Health. 2001;91:618–620
  22. Pate R, Davis M, Robins T, Stone E, McKenzie T, Young J. Promotion physical activity in children and youth: a leadership role for schools. Circulation. 2006;114:1214–1224
  23. Ferreira I, van der Horst K, Wendel-Vos W, Kremers S, van Lenthe FJ, Brug J. Environmental correlates of physical activity in youth—a review and update. Obes Rev. 2007;8:129–154
  24. Pate R, Trost S, Levin S, Dowda M. Sport participation and health-related behaviors among US youth. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000;154:904–911
  25. Papaioannou A, Karastogiannidou C, Theodorakis Y. Sport involvement, sport violence and health behaviors of Greek adolescents. Eur J Public Health. 2004;14:168–172
  26. Steiner H, McQuivey RW, Pavelski R, Pitts T, Kraemer H. Adolescents and sports: risk or benefit?. Clin Pediatr. 2000;39:161–166
  27. Wu TY, Pender N, Noureddine S. Gender differences in the psychosocial and cognitive correlates of physical activity among Taiwanese adolescents: a structural equation modeling approach. Int J Behav Med. 2003;10:93–105
  28. Norman G, Schmid B, Sallis JF, Calfas K, Patrick K. Psychosocial and environmental correlates of adolescent sedentary behaviors. Pediatrics. 2005;116:908–916
  29. Trinh L, Rhodes RE, Ryan S. Gender differences in belief-based markers for physical activity among adolescents. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007;39:339S
  30. Beets MW, Pitetti KH, Forlaw L. The role of self-efficacy and referent specific social support in promoting rural adolescent females' physical activity. Am J Health Behav. 2007;31:227–237
  31. Beets MW, Vogel R, Forlaw L, Petteti KH, Cardinal BJ. Social support and youth physical activity: the role of provider and type. Am J Health Behav. 2006;30:278–289
  32. Voorkees CC, Murray D, Welk G, et al. The role of peer social network factors and physical activity in adolescent females. Am J Health Behav. 2005;29:183–190
  33. Cunacan SC, Duncan TE, Stryker LA. Sources and types of social support in youth physical activity. Health Psychol. 2005;24:3–10
  34. Sallis JF, Prochaska JJ, Taylor WC. A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2000;32:963–975
  35. Bandura A. Self-efficacy: The Exercise of Control. New York: WH Freeman; 1997;
  36. Abderson E, Wojcik J, Winett R, Williams D. Social-cognitive determinants of physical activity: the influence of social support, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and self-regulation among participants in a church-based health promotionstudy. Health Psychol. 2006;25:510–520
  37. Allison K, Dwyer J, Goldenberg E, Fein A, Yoshida K, Boutilier M. Male adolescents' reasons for participating in physical activity, barriers to participating and suggestions for increasing participation. Adolescence. 2005;40:155–170
  38. Tolman D, Impett E, Tracy A, Michael A. Looking good, sounding good: femininity, ideology and adolescents females' mental health. Psychol Female Q. 2006;30:85–95
  39. Sallis JF, Bauman A, Pratt M. Environmental and police interventions to promote physical activity. Am J Prev Med. 1998;15:379–397
  40. Yancey A, Fielding J, Flores G, Sallis JF, McCarthy W, Breslow L. Creating a robust public health infrastructure for physical activity promotion. Am J Prev Med. 2007;32:68–78
  41. Brennan L, Hoehner C, Brwnson R, et al. Indicators of activity-friendly communities. An evidence-based consensus process. Am J Prev Med. 2006;31:515–524
  42. Taylor W, Sallis JF, Lees E, et al. Changing social and built environments to promote physical activity: recommendations from low income, urban women. J Phys Act Health. 2007;4:54–65
  43. Atkinson J, Sallis JF, Saelens B, Cain K, Black J. The association of neighborhood design and recreational environments with physical activity. Am J Health Promot. 2005;19:304–319
  44. Sallis JF, Glanz K. The role of built environments in physical activity, eating, and obesity in childhood. Future Child. 2006;16:89–108
  45. Kipke M, Iverson E, More D, et al. Food and park environments: neighborhood-level risk for childhood obesity in East Los Angeles. J Adolesc Health. 2007;40:325–333
  46. Monge-Rojas R, Nuñez H, Garita C, Chen-Mok M. Psychosocial aspects of Costa Rican adolescents eating and physical activity patterns. J Adolesc Health. 2002;31:212–219
  47. WHO/UNFPA/UNCEF Study Group on Programming for Adolescent Health. Programming for Adolescent Health and Development. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO; 1999;WHO Technical Report Series 886

 This research was funded by INCIENSA, CCSS, and UNA.

PII: S1499-4046(08)00056-0

doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2008.03.002

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
Volume 41, Issue 3 , Pages 152-160 , May 2009

Article Tools