Parents' Influence on Attitudes of Adolescents Towards Sport and Physical Activity in a Changing Society: The Case of Transylvania

Nowadays, minimal data are available on active behaviors of young people in Romania, relatively new entry in the European Union. Within this country, physical activity behavior patterns of adolescents aged 14-18 years from the region of Transylvania’s have been scarcely studied. To examine and better understand these behaviors, a Likert-scale-based questionnaire was administered to a sample of 750 adolescents. The questionnaire aimed to detect the involvement of the Romanian adolescents from Transylvania region in physical activity and sport and to understand who was influencing them the most in choosing the type of physical activity and sport. Our data show the role of parents, as main educational agents, in influencing the involvement of adolescents in physical activity and sport. Parental influence seems to be more significant for girls and boys living in rural areas than for those from cities. In conclusion, this study wants to encourage, via educational support