DOES A RELATIONSHIP EXIST BETWEEN SECONDARY SCHOOL PUPIL’S KNOWLEDGE OF RECOMMENDED NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES AND THEIR ACTUAL DIETARY AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BEHAVIOURS?

Abstract

This study aimed to establish whether a relationship existed between secondary school pupil’s knowledge and behaviour of physical activity and nutrition guidelines. Accompanying this was the purpose of identifying whether differences in knowledge and behaviour existed between genders and year groups. To conduct this research, 319 pupils from years 7, 11 and 13, from two secondary schools in Powys each completed two questionnaires created by the researcher. The first was designed to indicate nutrition and physical activity behaviour and the second measured pupil’s knowledge of relevant guidelines. In addition to the construction of frequency and percentage tables, a spearman’s correlation was conducted to identify the significance of the relationship between physical activity and nutrition, knowledge and behaviour. A Mann Whitney U test was also performed to highlight the significance of difference between males and females knowledge and behaviour of nutrition and physical activity guidelines and a Kruskal-Wallis Test was used to discover the significance of difference between year’s 7, 11 and 13s knowledge and behaviour of nutrition and physical activity guidelines. Overall, this study revealed a significant relationship between behaviour and knowledge of physical activity guidelines, knowledge and behaviour of nutrition guidelines and behaviour of physical activity guidelines and behaviour of nutrition and dietary guidelines (P <0.05). However, a significant relationship was not displayed between knowledge of physical activity guidelines and knowledge of nutrition and dietary guidelines (P >0.05). A statistical difference did not exist between male and female’s knowledge and behaviour of nutrition and dietary guidelines (P >0.05), however a difference between knowledge and behaviour of physical activity guidelines was uncovered (P<0.05). Furthermore, a statistical difference was found between the year groups in their knowledge and behaviour of nutrition and dietary guidelines and their behaviour of physical activity guidelines (P <0.05). However, a difference between knowledge of physical activity guidelines was not found (P >0.05).