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Hop, Skip … No! Explaining Adolescent Girls’ Disinclination for Physical Activity

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to develop and validate the Girls’ Disinclination for Physical Activity Scale (G-DAS) and implement the scale along with an objective measure of physical activity (PA) in a longitudinal sample of adolescent girls.

Methods

Participants were non-Hispanic White girls who were assessed at ages 13 years (n = 151) and 15 years (n = 98). Girls completed the G-DAS and the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale and wore an accelerometer for 7 days.

Results

Results supported a five-factor solution for the G-DAS; factors represented reasons for disliking PA including low perceived competence, lack of opportunities, high perceived exertion, concern about physical appearance, and threats to girls’ gender identity. Data supported the reliability and validity of the G-DAS. Low perceived competence was the most common reason girls reported disliking PA and predicted a decreased likelihood of maintaining sufficient PA across ages 13 to 15 years.

Conclusion

Developing PA-related skills prior to adolescence may reduce declines in adolescent girls’ PA.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Policy, Management, and Behavior, University at Albany (SUNY), One University Place, Rm 183, Rensselaer, NY, 12144, USA

    Kirsten Krahnstoever Davison Ph.D.

  2. Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA

    Dorothy L. Schmalz Ph.D.

  3. Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Danielle Symons Downs Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Kirsten Krahnstoever Davison Ph.D.
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  2. Dorothy L. Schmalz Ph.D.
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  3. Danielle Symons Downs Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kirsten Krahnstoever Davison Ph.D..

Additional information

Author Note

This study was supported by the NICHD through the following awards: RO1 HD32973; RO1 HD46567; MO1 RR10. The authors would like to thank the girls and their families for their commitment to the study.

Appendix 1: Development of the Girls’ Attitudes Toward Physical Activity Scale (G-DAS)

Appendix 1: Development of the Girls’ Attitudes Toward Physical Activity Scale (G-DAS)

I don’t like sports and physical activities because........

Item added, deleted, or revised following pilot testing

Item deleted following PCA

Item included in CFA analyses

Competence

I am not athletic

  

X

I am not built for it

  

X

I don’t have the skills

  

X

I am not good at them

 

X

 

I don’t feel good playing them

Deleted

  

I don’t know how

 

X

 

I am not strong enough

 

X

 

I am too slow

 

X

 

I am clumsy

 

X

 

Appearance

My hair gets messed up

  

X

I would have to shower and do my hair over

  

X

I don’t want to get dirty

  

X

I get red in the face

 

X

 

I look silly doing them

 

X

 

I am already thin

 

X

 

I feel/look funny doing them

Deleted

  

I don’t like to sweat

 

X

 

I am too heavy to do them

Deleted

  

They are for thin people

Deleted

  

I don’t want to cut my nails

 

X

 

Identity

Other girls will think I’m a tomboy

  

X

Boys will think I’m a tomboy

  

X

I am not aggressive

Revised: Girls who do them are too aggressive

 

X

I am not competitive

Revised: Girls who do them are too competitive

 

X

Popular girls don’t do them

Deleted

  

My friends don’t do them

Deleted

  

I don’t fit in

Deleted

  

I don’t want to get hurt

 

X

 

Perceived exertion

I don’t like to run out of breath

  

X

They are too tiring

  

X

I don’t have the energy

Added after pilot work

 

X

They are too hard

 

X

 

They take too much effort

Added after pilot work

X

 

I don’t have the endurance

Revised: I am not in good enough shape

X

 

Availability

Most of them are for boys

  

X

Girls don’t play the ones I like

  

X

The ones I want to play aren’t offered

  

X

My friends don’t play the ones I like

Deleted

  

There aren’t many for girls to choose from

 

X

 

There aren’t enough girls to play with

Deleted

  

There’s no coach

 

X

 

I don’t like to play on co-ed teams

 

X

 

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Davison, K.K., Schmalz, D.L. & Downs, D.S. Hop, Skip … No! Explaining Adolescent Girls’ Disinclination for Physical Activity. ann. behav. med. 39, 290–302 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-010-9180-x

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