Perceived opportunities, gender, urbanization and leisure-time physical activity: a European study

Limited research has been conducted on the effect of opportunities for leisure-time physical activity within the residential environment on leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) behavior in a European context. The purpose of this study was (i) to fill this gap and (ii) explore the potential role of gender and level of urbanization in this regard. Based on the Eurobarometer-survey from 2005 (N=24846), the results of our Hierarchical Linear Modeling Bernoulli model confirms the effect of opportunities on LTPA in Europe. Moreover, this effect is larger for European citizens living in rural areas compared to those living in large towns. A joint effect of LTPA perceived opportunities and sex was, however, not revealed. The findings show the potential of opportunities (infrastructure, etc.) within residential environments to LTPA for the European population, especially for those living in villages or rural areas

Sport for All? Insight into stratification and compensation mechanisms of sporting activity in the 27 European Union member states

Physical activity is an important public health issue and the benefits of an active lifestyle in relation to well-being and health have been strongly emphasised in recent years in Europe, as well as in most parts of the world. However, previous research has shown that physical activity within Europe and its member states is stratified. The present article gains insight into: (1) the geographical stratification; and (2) the social stratification of physical activity in the 27 European Union member states in 2005. Special attention is given to sporting activity in comparison to other forms of physical activity (transport, occupation and household). By doing this we intend to develop a picture of physical activity, in particular sporting activity, within the European Union. In addition, we want to verify whether low sporting activity levels are counterbalanced by other pieces of the total 'menu of physical activities'. Based on Eurobarometer data from 2005 (N=26,688), bivariate analyses show that 4 out of 10 Europeans are not exposed to sporting activity. Moreover, particular subgroups of non-sportive citizens could be distinguished: South and East Europeans, and women, the elderly, individuals with a lower educational level and rural citizens. Our hypothesis that these groups would compensate for their non-sporting activity by being physically active in other domains could only be confirmed for women and rural citizens, in particular with regard to household physical activity. To understand the underlying structure of these possible compensation mechanisms, additional quantitative and qualitative research is needed. Nevertheless, because of societal trends towards an inactive society, the role of sporting activity will be increasingly important in the future for all inactive subgroups. For this purpose, not only should necessary resources and key stakeholders be identified, but also more importantly the social and environmental barriers for sporting activity need to be addressed

Vlaanderen binnen het Europese sportlandschap: een crossnationale analyse van sportbeoefening in de Europese Unie

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AIDS Knowledge and Sexual Activity among Flemish Secondary School Students: the Effects of Type of Education

Using data from the Flemish Educational Assessment survey, this paper examines how AIDS knowledge and sexual activity co-vary among Flemish secondary school students, and how they are affected by education type. Results indicate that type of education affects both an adolescent´s onset of sexuality and his/her AIDS knowledge, and these effects prove robust for differences in socio-economic backgrounds. Students in lower status education types are more likely to be sexually active and to have poorer AIDS knowledge. The relationship between AIDS knowledge and sexual activity is, however, more complex. Although students in education types with poorer AIDS knowledge are more sexually active, within each of these groups the sexually active have better AIDS knowledge than the non-sexually active ones. There is also evidence of active information seeking by sexually active students which leads to improved AIDS knowledge