Home, school environments may provide less encouragement for girls to be physically active.
School and family influences on physical activity may be stronger in boys than in girls in Australia, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Rohan Telford from the University of Canberra, Australia, and colleagues.
Scientists have observed what appears to be a gender-based disparity in physical activity among youth, where girls are less active than boys. To better understand the mechanisms that underlie these observed differences, the authors of this study collected data from over 550 boys and girls from 29 schools as part of the Lifestyle of our Kids (LOOK) study in Australia.
