Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 18, 2025

Physical Activity Measurement in Children Accepting Table Tennis Training
Published on: July 27, 2022
Promotion of Healthy Habits in Adolescents: An Interdisciplinary Study on Motivation Towards Physical Education,
Paula San Martín González1, José Enrique Moral García2, Mario Amatria Jiménez3
1Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pontifical University of Salamanca, 37002 Salamanca, Spain.
Abstract:
Adolescence is a key period for the development and consolidation of habits that favour a healthy and active lifestyle. The promotion of healthy habits in this critical period of development is essential to ensure a better quality of life and the prevention of chronic diseases in the long term. This study aims to analyse how physical activity (PA) and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) influence motivation towards physical education (PE) in adolescents. It also aims to explore gender differences and provide information that will allow the design of educational strategies to promote healthy lifestyle habits in schools.
Method:
descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study. An ad hoc socio-demographic questionnaire, the Physician-based Assessment and Counselling for Exercise, the KIDMED Mediterranean diet adherence questionnaire and the motivation in Physical Education questionnaire were administered in the school environment under direct supervision of the researchers to minimise biases in self-perception.
Results:
Students with higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet showed higher intrinsic motivation towards physical education (F = 5.133, p < 0.01), while those with lower adherence showed higher demotivation (F = 5.507, p < 0.01).
Conclusions:
The findings suggest the need to reinforce physical activity and nutrition education programmes in adolescents, promoting interdisciplinary approaches to increase adherence to healthy lifestyles.
Related Concept Videos
Lifestyle Factors and Health
Benefits of Physical Activity
Physical activity, whether through structured exercise or casual activities like walking, biking, or dancing, is a cornerstone of a...
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques VI
Motivation and Self-Determination
Motivation, the driving force behind behavior, plays a pivotal role at every stage of the change process. The research...
Cancer Prevention
Some...
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I
The health belief model (HBM) attempts to predict health-related behavior in specific belief patterns. According to the HBM, a person's...
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results...
Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention
In primary prevention, actions taken before disease onset prevent the disease from...

