Are more physical education classes related to less time in leisure-time sedentary behavior? An analysis including adolescents from 73 countries.

Plain Language Summary

Sedentary behaviour among adolescents is a growing public health concern due to its association with various negative health outcomes, including cardiometabolic, social, and mental health issues. Schools play a crucial role in promoting active lifestyles, and physical education (PE) classes are a key component of this effort. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between the weekly frequency of PE classes and leisure-time sedentary behaviour among adolescents from 73 countries. This study was a cross-sectional study which included 283,233 adolescents aged 11 to 18 years. Results showed that: - adolescents with no PE classes had a lower prevalence of spending ≥3 hours per day in leisure-time sedentary behaviour compared to those with one PE class per week. - conversely, adolescents with 2, 3-4, and 5 PE classes per week showed a higher likelihood of spending ≥3 hours per day in leisure-time sedentary behaviour. - no significant differences were observed across different world regions and country income levels. Authors concluded that their counterintuitive findings suggest that simply increasing the number of PE classes may not be sufficient to reduce sedentary behaviour and highlights the need for a more comprehensive approach to promoting active lifestyles among adolescents.