Assessment of the usefulness of physical education classes and their relationship with physical-sport activity in teenagers

Abstract

The aim of this research paper is to analyze the relationship between perceived usefulness of Physical Education classes and the amount of exercise done regularly by schoolchildren from Murcia. To do so, a scale called IAFHA was validated (Inventory of regular physical activity in teenagers). The sample is representative of teenagers attending school in Murcia and is made up of 888 subjects between 14 and 17 years old. Independence tests administered and multivariate analyses (MANOVA) conducted indicate that the perceived usefulness of Physical Education classes is a variable that significantly increases, in both men and women, the overall levels of regular physical activity in teenagers. The recorded averages for the subscale of physical and sport activity in school are significantly higher than seen in the subscale of voluntary sports activity and during leisure time. This circumstance is probably due to the binding character of this subject, which leads us to the need to increase its presence in the curricular timetable in secondary school.