Individual Versus Group Exercise Effect on Youth Physical Activity Levels: a Randomised Controlled Trial

Overview

Journal BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med

Date 2025 Feb 3

PMID 39897981

Authors

Dario Novak

Marko cule

Jinseo Kim

Rockli Kim

S V Subramanian

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: To explore the effects of two different types of exercise (individual vs group) on physical activity (PA) among Croatian university students.

Methods: A total of 976 university students between the ages of 19 and 20 years (age 19.4±1.1 years, body mass index 21.9±2.9 kg/m) were randomly assigned to either the control group (individual exercise) (n=504) or the intervention group, which received group exercise (n=472). Pre- and postintervention measures included: self-rated health, parents' occupation, psychological distress, nutritional status and PA levels. The overall intervention effect was estimated using linear regression method, and heterogeneity in intervention effect was assessed by modelling complex variance.

Results: Group-based exercise intervention significantly increased total PA time by more than 10 metabolic equivalents (METS) hours per week compared with individual-based exercise control group. When considering different types of activities, the intervention effect was stronger for vigorous activity (increase by almost 6 METS hours per week) than walking activity (2.5 METS hours per week). The change in moderate activity level was not significant after covariate adjustment. In addition, intervention was also effective in reducing sedentary hours. Finally, when complex level-1 heterogeneity was modelled by intervention status, we found substantially larger variance in the intervention group compared with the controls, indicating presence of heterogeneous treatment effect.

Conclusions: This study discusses major implications of different ways of exercising among youths from a health, educational and sport perspective. Intervention and policies that leverage school social capital might serve as an avenue for health promotion in youth.

References

Keating X, Guan J, Pinero J, Bridges D . A meta-analysis of college students' physical activity behaviors. J Am Coll Health. 2005; 54(2):116-25. DOI: 10.3200/JACH.54.2.116-126. View

Spinelli A, Buoncristiano M, Nardone P, Starc G, Hejgaard T, Juliusson P . Thinness, overweight, and obesity in 6- to 9-year-old children from 36 countries: The World Health Organization European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative-COSI 2015-2017. Obes Rev. 2021; 22 Suppl 6:e13214. DOI: 10.1111/obr.13214. View

Wang Z, Byrne N, Kenardy J, Hills A . Influences of ethnicity and socioeconomic status on the body dissatisfaction and eating behaviour of Australian children and adolescents. Eat Behav. 2004; 6(1):23-33. DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2004.05.001. View

Humbert M, Chad K, Spink K, Muhajarine N, Anderson K, Bruner M . Factors that influence physical activity participation among high- and low-SES youth. Qual Health Res. 2006; 16(4):467-83. DOI: 10.1177/1049732305286051. View

Kessler R, Barker P, Colpe L, Epstein J, Gfroerer J, Hiripi E . Screening for serious mental illness in the general population. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2003; 60(2):184-9. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.60.2.184. View

Novak D, Doubova S, Kawachi I . Social capital and physical activity among Croatian high school students. Public Health. 2016; 135:48-55. DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2016.02.002. View

Lazzer S, Boirie Y, Bitar A, Montaurier C, Vernet J, Meyer M . Assessment of energy expenditure associated with physical activities in free-living obese and nonobese adolescents. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003; 78(3):471-9. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/78.3.471. View

Vilhjalmsson R, Thorlindsson T . Factors related to physical activity: a study of adolescents. Soc Sci Med. 1998; 47(5):665-75. DOI: 10.1016/s0277-9536(98)00143-9. View

Green J, Gruber M, Sampson N, Zaslavsky A, Kessler R . Improving the K6 short scale to predict serious emotional disturbance in adolescents in the USA. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2010; 19 Suppl 1:23-35. PMC: 3686478. DOI: 10.1002/mpr.314. View

10.

Kahn E, Ramsey L, Brownson R, Heath G, Howze E, Powell K . The effectiveness of interventions to increase physical activity. A systematic review. Am J Prev Med. 2002; 22(4 Suppl):73-107. DOI: 10.1016/s0749-3797(02)00434-8. View

11.

Trost S, Kerr L, Ward D, Pate R . Physical activity and determinants of physical activity in obese and non-obese children. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001; 25(6):822-9. DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0801621. View

12.

Prince S, Adamo K, Hamel M, Hardt J, Connor Gorber S, Tremblay M . A comparison of direct versus self-report measures for assessing physical activity in adults: a systematic review. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2008; 5:56. PMC: 2588639. DOI: 10.1186/1479-5868-5-56. View

13.

Sallis J, Prochaska J, Taylor W . A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2000; 32(5):963-75. DOI: 10.1097/00005768-200005000-00014. View

14.

McMurray R, Harrell J, Deng S, Bradley C, Cox L, Bangdiwala S . The influence of physical activity, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity on the weight status of adolescents. Obes Res. 2000; 8(2):130-9. DOI: 10.1038/oby.2000.14. View

15.

van der Bij A, Laurant M, Wensing M . Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for older adults: a review. Am J Prev Med. 2002; 22(2):120-33. DOI: 10.1016/s0749-3797(01)00413-5. View

16.

Cheng L, Mendonca G, Cazuza de Farias Junior J . Physical activity in adolescents: analysis of the social influence of parents and friends. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2013; 90(1):35-41. DOI: 10.1016/j.jped.2013.05.006. View

17.

Dishman R, Buckworth J . Increasing physical activity: a quantitative synthesis. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1996; 28(6):706-19. DOI: 10.1097/00005768-199606000-00010. View

18.

Ferreira I, van der Horst K, Wendel-Vos W, Kremers S, Van Lenthe F, Brug J . Environmental correlates of physical activity in youth - a review and update. Obes Rev. 2007; 8(2):129-54. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2006.00264.x. View

19.

Garcia A, Broda M, Frenn M, Coviak C, Pender N, Ronis D . Gender and developmental differences in exercise beliefs among youth and prediction of their exercise behavior. J Sch Health. 1995; 65(6):213-9. DOI: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.1995.tb03365.x. View

20.

Eime R, Young J, Harvey J, Charity M, Payne W . A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for children and adolescents: informing development of a conceptual model of health through sport. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2013; 10:98. PMC: 3751802. DOI: 10.1186/1479-5868-10-98. View