Associations between individual and environmental factors and habitual physical activity among older Chinese adults:A social–ecological perspective

Purpose: To examine, within a social–ecological framework, associations between multifaceted individual and environmental factors and habitual physical activity(HPA) among older Chinese adults.Methods: Through a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, a survey instrument assessing various factors underlying 3 social–ecological dimensions of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and community and environmental resources was developed. Using a cross-sectional design, older adults(n = 1580, aged 67 ± 7 years) recruited from 10 communities in Shandong province completed the social–ecological survey of HPA. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Path Modeling.Results: Factors related to intrapersonal(medical knowledge, motivation, physical function, sport skills, socioeconomic status, and education),interpersonal(social support, social activity, and social norms), and community and physical environmental resources(safety, capacity, availability of and access to physical activity facilities) were found to be significantly associated with older adults' participation in HPA.Conclusion: The findings provide an initial validation of a social–ecological approach to the study of HPA in China, suggesting that strategies aimed at promoting physical activity in older adults should address multiple levels of factors that may contribute to the likelihood of older Chinese adults being physically active.

A Dataset on the Status Quo of Health and Health-Related Behaviors of Chinese Youth: A Longitudinal Large-Scale Survey in the Secondary School Students of Shandong Province

This data article describes data acquired from the Database of Youth Health(DYH)program.The DYH program consisted of a multi-wave survey conducted annually in the academic year 2015/2016,2016/2017,2017/2018,and 2020/2021 to investigate the status quo of health and health-related behaviors of Chinese junior and senior high school students.A total of 99,327 students from 186 secondary schools in 17 cities of Shandong province participated in the survey.The dataset is longitudinal and consists of rich parameters in aspects of individual information,social-economic status,social interaction,nutrition and diet,psychological cognition,mental health,school adaptation,quality of life,spare-time physical activity,risk behaviors,and physical fitness evaluation results based on the National Student Physical Fitness and Health 2014.It is the first open shared dataset about Chinese adolescents’health and health-related behaviors.It would be valuable and beneficial for policy makers,educational institutions,and other stakeholders to generate or adjust the existing strategies for improving Chinese adolescents’wellbeing.