Given the need for comparative research on the participation of adolescents in physical education (PE) classes as a privileged space for physical activity (PA) promotion, this study sought to estimate, analyse and compare the prevalence of participation in PE classes among adolescents from 54 countries and to examine sex, age, country income and world regions disparities. Data from the Global Students Health Survey (2010–2015) were used, comprising 170,347 adolescents (90,305 girls, aged 13–17 years) from nationally representative samples of 54 countries—of which 7 are low-income, 23 lower-middle-income, 14 upper-middle-income and 10 high-income—and six world regions. The weighted percentages of adolescents participating in PE classes (never, 1–2 days/week, 3–4 days/week, 5 or more days/week) were estimated along 95% confidence intervals and compared across sex, age, country income, region, and country. Most adolescents reported to participate in PE on 1–2 days/week (55.2%), but almost 20% of adolescents reported never participating in PE. Girls, compared to boys, presented a lower prevalence for participating ≥5 days/week (girls 16.8%, boys 20.0%). The prevalence of participating in PE on ≥3 days/week was higher among adolescents aged 13–14 years when compared to adolescents aged 15–17 years (boys: 30.9% vs. 24.6%; girls: 26.1% vs. 18.2%). Concerning the countries’ income, the prevalence of never participating in PE was higher in high-income countries, and participating on ≥3 days/week was higher in low-income countries, but further research is recommended. The findings suggest that national, regional and worldwide data highlight the importance of improving participation in PE, particularly for girls and older adolescents. An improved and continued monitoring of PE policies and their actual implementation is needed worldwide.

中文翻译：

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来自54个低，中，高收入国家的170,347名青少年参与体育课的比较研究。

鉴于有必要对青少年参与体育课的比较研究作为促进体育锻炼的特权空间，本研究旨在评估，分析和比较54岁以下青少年参加体育课的普遍性国家并检查性别，年龄，国家收入和世界地区差异。使用了“全球学生健康调查”（2010-2015）的数据，其中包括来自54个国家/地区的具有代表性的样本中的170,347名青少年（90,305名女孩，年龄13-17岁），其中有7个是低收入国家，23个是中低收入国家，14个中上收入国家和10个高收入国家以及六个世界地区。参加体育课的青少年的加权百分比（从不，每周1-2天，每周3-4天，根据95％的置信区间估计5天或更多天（每周），并在性别，年龄，国家/地区，收入和国家/地区之间进行比较。大多数青少年报告每周参加1-2天（55.2％）参加体育活动，但几乎20％的青少年报告从未参加过体育锻炼。与男孩相比，女孩参加≥5天/周的患病率较低（女孩16.8％，男孩20.0％）。与13-17岁的青少年相比，13-14岁的青少年每周≥3天参加体育运动的患病率更高（男孩：30.9％对24.6％；女孩：26.1％对18.2％）。关于国家的收入，在高收入国家中，从未参加体育运动的患病率较高，在低收入国家中，每周≥3天参加体育运动的患病率较高，但建议进一步研究。调查结果表明，区域和世界范围的数据突出显示了提高对体育教育的参与的重要性，特别是对于女童和大龄青少年。在全球范围内，需要对PE政策及其实际执行情况进行改进和持续的监控。