Correlates of Low-readiness of Exercise Adaptation in Japanese Adolescents: a Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: A large proportion of Japanese adolescents were inactive. The aim of this study was to examine the correlates of low-readiness to adopt exercise behavior (Precontemplation [PC] in stage of exercise behavior) in Japanese adolescents. Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected with a convenience sample of 566 first-year university students (female, 47.7%). The independent variables were physical activity (PA), sitting time, and exercise self-efficacy (ESE). Findings: The distribution of the subjects in the PC stage was 16.4% (contemplation, 28.3%; preparation, 22.8%; action, 25.6%; maintenance, 6.9%). Results of the logistic regression analysis indicated that the PC was associated with total PA (odds ratio, 0.97; 95% confidence interval, 0.95-0.98), high-intensity PA (0.94; 0.92-0.97), moderate-intensity PA (0.97; 0.94-0.99), ESE (0.77; 0.72-0.83), and weekday (1.08; 1.03-1.13) and weekend (1.10; 1.04-1.15) sitting time after controlling for gender difference. Discussion: These results suggest that being low-readiness to adopt exercise may be related to not only PA and ESE but also sitting time in Japanese adolescents.