Motivation for physical activity among children and adolescents

Assisting children and adolescents in adopting physically active lifestyles is an integral part of the health education and health promotion services provide by nurses in school, family, community, and primary care settings. In order to effectively engage in physical activity counseling, the determinants of physical activity must be understood and integrated into effective interventions for youths. This review of research literature includes a critique of intervention studies aimed at helping children and adolescents adopt active lifestyles that will be sustained throughout life. Social cognitive theory provided the theoretical basis for most of the studies reviewed but specification of how theory concepts were operationalized in the interventions was often unclear. Suggestions for increasing the rigor of theoretically based intervention studies aimed at promoting physical activity are proposed. Models and variables are identified that need further testing to determine their relevance to the promotion of physical activity during childhood and adolescence.