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ALBANIAN MEDICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENTParticipation of adolescents in physical activity inAlbania in 2009Rudina Çumashi 1 , Rovena Daja 11Institute of Public Health, Tirana, Albania.Aim: of the Youth Risk Behavior SurveillanceSystem among adolescents was to monitor six(priority) categories of health risk behaviors amongyouth in Albania. One of these categories was theparticipation of adolescents in physical activity.Methods: This was a quantitative study withparticipation of high school students, aged 16-18years. The sample size was 3200 students, drawn ona multistage cluster sampling technique withprobability proportional to size (for the 12 districtsof Albania). The instrument of the study was astandardized questionnaire adapted from the Centerfor Disease Control and Prevention, USA. The dataanalysis was conducted in SPSS.Results: About 40% of the students did notperform any physical activity during a week, while37% reported to have had physical activities with aduration of 30 minutes without sweating or havingdifficulties in breathing 1-2 days per week. 23% ofstudents have performed a physical activity of 20minutes which had made them sweating in 3 ormore days per week (37.5% male and 12.9% femalestudents). About 70% of students participated in anhour of physical education and 8% of them in twoor more hours. 37% of the students had watchedTV for 3-4 hours per day.Conclusion: Participation of the adolescents inphysical activities has decreased over the years inAlbania. There is an urgent need for activepromotion of physical activity, efficient healtheducation, and greater focus on health education inschool curricula, as well as involvement of healthprofessionals in promotional campaigns related toyouth participation in different physical activities.Keywords: adolescent, sedentarylifestyle, physical activity.90 ALBANIAN MEDICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT