The intention to practice in the future in adolescent schoolchildren

Abstract

The present study aimed to analyze the intention to be active in the future of a group of adolescents and which variables could best predict this intention. Participated 480 students from Madrid and Castilla La Mancha, aged 11 to 16 years (M = 13.33 years, SD = 1.41) of which 309 were men and 171 women. They completed the HBSC Inventory in its Spanish version (Castillo et al., 1997) referred to personal, social and environmental aspects of the practice of physical and sporting activities. The results showed that the rate of participation and practice in sports is declining in general and particularly in girls. The comparison with the 1997 study attests well. For these participants the variables that best predict intention to practice in the future were the self-perceptions of athletic competition, physical fitness and health, to which should be added the practice of significant people and active membership of a sports club. This study shows a clear result, the need to increase the practice in this age, to provide confirmatory experiences that allow them to see their proficiency in sport, especially in the case of girls.