Attitudes and Physical Self-Concept as Determinants of Physical Activity Practice

The regular practice of physical activity (PA) in adolescence is essential for good health throughout life; therefore, studying the variables that condition PA behavior is of great importance to reinforce or modify behavior in a timely manner in order to guarantee a healthier society. In this sense, the main objective of this study was to examine the correlation and relationship between attitudes and physical self-concept with PA practice in Peruvian adolescents. This is an empirical research of an associative nature in which 1264 schoolchildren aged between 14 and 17 years (15.51±.94), from public and private institutions in Lima and Callao, Peru, participated in a sociodemographic questionnaire, a questionnaire of attitudes towards the practice of physical-sports activity, a physical self-concept questionnaire and an inventory of habitual physical activity. The results, firstly, showed that the highest correlation score between the variables studied was between attitudes and PA practice (.511), which was corroborated by a large effect size (.25). Second, 25.1 % of the variability in practice was found to be due to changes in attitudes and physical self-concept. In addition, according to the multiple regression analysis, the model proposed proved to be valid (y = -.560 +.894x1+0.94x2). Thus, on the one hand, it is explained that for each point that is increased in attitudes (x1), PA practice increases.894 on average, keeping physical self-concept constant (x2); on the other hand, for each point that is increased in physical self-concept (x2), PA practice increases.94 on average, keeping attitudes constant (x1). In conclusion, it is shown that the attitudes and/or physical self-concept of adolescents condition PA practice.