A Systematic Review of Children's Physical Activity Patterns: Concept, Operational Definitions, Instruments, Statistical Analyses, and Health Implications.

Thayse Natacha Gomes,Sara Pereira,Mabliny Thuany,Martyn Standage,José Maia,Peter T Katzmarzyk

doi:10.3390/ijerph17165837

Abstract

Despite the widespread use of the expression “physical activity pattern” (PAP), there apparently is no general consensus regarding its definition. This systematic review aimed to examine available research focussing on (1) definitions of PAP, (2) instruments/techniques used to describe PAP, (3) statistical approaches used to analyse PAP, and (4) implications of PAP on children’s health. A systematic review of the available literature was done to identify studies published up to October 2019, and 76 studies were eligible. None of the studies presented a formal definition of PAP; a wide range of instruments were used to investigate children’s PAP, and most of the revised studies did not explicitly present a formal statistical model to define PAP. Twenty-four papers purported to examine associations between PAP and health indicators. The review highlights no consensus on a clear PAP definition whatever the instrument used to capture it, and we did not find any agreement regarding how best to analyse PAP. We suggest that PAP should be used when targeting the investigation of similarities/dissimilarities, as well as stabilities and/or changes in children’s PA at an intra-personal level. In sum, PAP should be used to best describe individual streams of behaviours, and not exclusively PA levels/intensities.

Highlights

Physical activity (PA) is positively associated with numerous physical, psychological, and cognitive health benefits in children and youth [1]
Responses to Q3 were endorsed with the lowest score, meaning that none of the studies presented a clear definition regarding the meaning of PA patterns (PAP)
There is an “urgency” for a formal and clear definition of PAP in order to guide researchers in future studies, highlighting the most useful instruments and statistical procedures to best capture these complex streams of behaviours

Summary

Introduction

Physical activity (PA) is positively associated with numerous physical, psychological, and cognitive health benefits in children and youth [1]. Despite the development of science-based global guidelines for achieving these health benefits [2], epidemiological data suggest that PA among youth is declining in many countries, and that pronounced proportions of children do not meet the recommendations [3]. Does every child’s PA differ in duration and intensity, but it varies according to spaces/places [6], segments of the day [7], weather conditions [8], and seasons [9]. Such complexity has raised the bar and challenged researchers to

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