ArticleBMC public health2024
Compensatory behavior of physical activity in adolescents - a qualitative analysis of the underlying mechanisms and influencing factors.
Article in BMC public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Interventions on Barriers to the Participation of Adolescents in Physical Activity: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- Rural-urban differences in perceived social and built environments and associations with physical activity among youth in the United States.Preventive medicine reports · 2026Article
- Feasibility of dynamic structural equation modeling for capturing micro-level temporal dynamics in adolescent physical activity.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Lifestyle Behavior Patterns and Their Association with Active Commuting to School Among Spanish Adolescents: A Cluster Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The relationship between positive exercise experiences and mobile phone addiction tendencies in older adults: a cross-lagged study.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
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5 authors.
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Abstract
introductionCompensatory behavior of physical activity (PA) based on the ActivityStat hypothesis in adolescents is scarcely investigated, and existing studies showed inconclusive results. Understanding the compensatory behavior in a holistic way is important as this can help to improve intervention outcomes and thus, increase the PA levels in adolescents. Thus, the aim of the present study is to investigate the occurrence, direction, timeframe, and ratio of habitual activity compensation in adolescents. Furthermore, we want to identify the awareness of compensation and factors that influence compensatory behavior.
methodsThe present qualitative study used a mixed methods crossover analysis design. Participants (N = 15, 8 boys and 7 girls) were adolescents aged 11-15 years (mean age 13.04 ± 1.28). They provided a habitual weekly schedule with habitual/regular activities and their intensity. Participants then kept an activity diary over one week to capture their actual behavior. After that, data were compared and deviations > ±20% were considered as compensation opportunities. On this basis, deviations were descriptively analyzed for compensatory behavior and were coded as positive and negative compensatory behavior. Further, for each compensation, the ratio of compensation (MET-minutes of the compensating activity/MET-minutes of the activity that was compensated) was calculated. Additionally, interviews were conducted to explore perceptions and influencing factors for (no) compensation.
resultsOverall, 198 compensation opportunities were identified with deviations greater ± 20%. Of these, 109 opportunities were compensated overall (69 within-day, 40 between-day). Negative compensation took place in 57 opportunities and 52 opportunities were compensated positively. Most of the deviations were overcompensated (compensation/deviation > 100%). About half of the adolescents (N = 8) were not aware about their compensatory behavior, and only one boy was aware of all his compensatory behavior. The most mentioned influence for positive compensation were social support by friends and good weather. As influencing factors for negative compensation, tiredness as well as no need for movement were mentioned predominantly. No negative compensation occurred because adolescents wanted to stick to their routines or participated in hedonistic activities. DISCUSSION: Summarizing the findings, the present study delivered new insights into the field of compensatory behavior in adolescents. Nevertheless, compensatory behavior was not consistently observed regarding the occurrence of compensation, direction, timeframe and ratio. However, social support appears to be an important factor to compensate positively or to avoid a negative compensatory behavior. Further, it seems to be helpful to support individuals in their search for hedonistic activities as well as in the establishment of routines.
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