Trends in vigorous physical activity and TV watching of adolescents from 1986 to 2002 in seven European Countries

Background: The aim is to study trends in physical activity and TV viewing in seven European countries in the period 1985–2002. Methods: The data are collected through questionnaires in the survey ‘Health Behaviour in School-aged Children. A WHO Cross-national study’, using nationally representative samples of 11-, 13-, and 15-year-olds. Between 1985/86 and 2001/02, a standard set of items was used to measure vigorous physical activity and TV watching in the study. Austria, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, and Wales used these measures in all surveys. Results: Between 1985/86 and 2001/02, there was a slight increase in Finland in the proportions reporting vigorous physical activity 4 or more times a week, whereas as pattern of stability was observed for the other countries. Across all surveys and countries boys were more likely to report regular vigorous physical activity than girls. No clear pattern emerges when examining trends over time in TV watching. Boys reported spending more time watching TV than girls in all countries. The correlation between the two behaviours at the 1986 and 1998 measurement points was non-significant. Conclusion: The finding that boys were more likely to report regular vigorous physical activity and TV watching confirms results of previous studies. The present study of seven European countries generally indicates stability or a small increase in physical activity of boys and girls aged 11–15 from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s.