Compliance with a physical activity guideline among junior high school students.

Background There was no nation-wide moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) data among Japanese adolescents. This study assessed the compliance with the MVPA guideline in adolescents using a random sampling survey in Japan. The factors associated with meeting the guideline were also examined. Methods Participants were 1st to 3rd grade Japanese junior high school students (307 boys and 255 girls). We analyzed data of the National Sports-Life Survey of Teens 2019 which used the Japanese version of PA questions in the WHO Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey and potential correlates of MVPA. Results The compliance with meeting PA guideline by the WHO for Japanese students was 19.0% (95% CI, 15.8 - 22.3). The compliance for boys was significantly higher than that of girls (23.1%; 95% CI, 18.4 - 27.8; vs, 14.1%; 95% CI, 9.8 -18.4). Meeting PA guideline was significantly associated with boys in the second grade than boys in the first grade (OR 1.78; 95% CI, 1.02 - 3.09), liking PA (for all: OR 2.97; 95% CI, 1.32 - 6.69; for girls: OR 2.99; 95% CI, 1.01 - 8.81), and sports participation (for all: OR 4.77; 95% CI, 2.32 - 9.80; for boys: OR 6.00; 95% CI, 1.81 - 19.89; for girls: OR 4.08; 95% CI, 1.63 - 10.21). Conclusion The results suggest that more than 80% junior high school students were insufficiently physically active in Japan. Preference for PA and sports participation may be important correlates of sufficient PA.