Associations among psychological satisfaction in physical education, sports practice, and health indicators with physical activity: Direct and indirect ways in a structural equation model proposal

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Physical education (PE) classes are among the main intervention strategies for increasing levels of physical activity (PA) to adolescent's health improvements. However, low levels of psychological satisfaction in physical education classes (PE satisfaction) and multiple associations with some factors as sex, age, sedentarism, sports practice, sleep, quality of life can act as moderators of levels of physical activity. Considering these aspects, this study aims to propose a theoretical model of multivariate relationships to verify the association between PE satisfaction with PA levels, considering the contribution of sports practice, health indicators, age, and sex on these relations. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with 470 adolescents (230 boys) aged 11–17 years from the south of Brazil. Several questionnaires were applied to measure the study variables. The theoretical/statistical support of the structural equation model was evaluated according to fit parameters and strength of relations. RESULTS: Sports practice, health indicators, age, and sex were mediators of the relationship between PE satisfaction and PA levels. CONCLUSION: There is a positive, however indirect, relationship between PE satisfaction with the levels of physical activity in adolescents, with greater strength of association in boys and at younger ages. It was identified that the practice of sport contributes to the main mediator factor for all relationships beneficial to the health of adolescents in the multivariate model. This means that adolescents who practiced sports showed greater PE satisfaction, more appropriate health indicators, associated with higher levels of physical activity as compared to nonpractitioners of sport.