High school sport participation: does it have an impact on physical activity self-efficacy in adolescent males?

Physical inactivity continues to be a major concern in the lives of youth. It is possible that participation in high school sport might contribute to enhancing self-efficacy which, in turn, would positively influence physical activity levels. In this study, the association between physical activity participation and self-efficacy for physical activity was measured in adolescent males from a private high school in Canada. Also, the possibility that self-efficacy levels differed between school sport participants and non-school sport participants was explored. The results of the Spearman's p test showed a moderate positive, and significant correlation between the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A) and the Self-Efficacy for Daily Physical Activity Questionnaire (SEPAQ) scores, r(113) = .571, p .05. Interestingly, PAQ-A scores and school sport participation explained a significant proportion of variance in SEPAQ scores, R^2= 0.33, F (2, 112) = 27.11, p < .001. Results from this study support previous research regarding the positive connection between physical activity and self-efficacy. These results also suggest that small increases in physical activity, whether through school sport or physical education, may influence not only physical health but psychological health for youth. Implications for male participation in physical activity are discussed along with ideas for increasing self-efficacy within the physical education context.