Authors:
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Zekeriya
Akturk*, Nezih Dagdeviren*, Cahit Özer MD*, Alican Dalkilic**
* Trakya University Medical Faculty Department
of Family Medicine, Edirne, Turkey
** St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
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Correspondence:
Zekeriya Aktürk
Trakya University Medical Faculty
Department of Family Medicine,
22030 Edirne, Turkey
Phone: +90 535 7140843,
Fax: +90 284 2357641
e-mail: zekeriya@trakya.edu.tr
Key words:
adolescent medicine, exercise, self
care, self-esteem, social conditions
Abstract
Objectives: this study examined the associations between
physical activity and some social factors in a sample of Turkish adolescents.
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Methods: 883 middle and high
school students provided information on physical activity, socioeconomic
status, living conditions, school performance, family status, family's
attitude about exercise, and playmates. Scales measuring self-esteem,
problem solving, and self-care levels were used for each student.
Results: 531 (60.1 %) students were practicing some
kind of sport. The most commonly preferred sports were ball games.
Low activity was associated with living without families, higher age,
low mother education, and low self-care scores suggesting that sociocultural
factors may affect the exercise status of adolescents.
Conclusions: Low physical activity was associated with
some social factors in teenagers. Efforts should be sought to increase
self-esteem and self-care of adolescents, and the opportunity to participate
in sportive activities with friends and parents.
 
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