Changes in Physical Activity Patterns from Childhood to Adolescence: Genobox Longitudinal Study.

Francisco Jesús Llorente-Cantarero,Rosaura Leis,Francisco Javier Aguilar-Gómez,Gloria Bueno-Lozano,Esther M Gonzalez-Gil,Mercedes Gil-Campos,Katherine Flores-Rojas,Rocío Vázquez-Cobela,Concepción M Aguilera,Augusto Anguita-Ruiz,Azahara Iris Rupérez

doi:10.3390/ijerph17197227

Abstract

Longitudinal changes of physical activity (PA) from childhood into adolescence have not been accurately described yet for the Spanish population. The aim of this study is to evaluate the changes of PA, assessed by accelerometry and anthropometric measures in a cohort of 213 children from the prepubertal to pubertal period, focusing on those with valid data from both time points (n = 75). Sedentary time (ST) increased about 50%, while all PA intensities declined from the pre-pubertal to pubertal period. Light PA (LPA) was the major contributor, decreasing by about 30%. Boys were more active than girls in both periods, but they showed a higher decline in PA, especially moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). The proportion who reached the recommendation of 60 min of MVPA decreased by 33.3% in boys and 4.6% in girls. Children with obesity or overweight had lower MVPA than those with normal-weight in the pre-pubertal period, but no differences were found in the pubertal period. This study shows a decrease of PA and an increase of sedentarism in the transition from childhood to adolescence, particularly in boys. Regardless of body weight, adolescents tend to be less active. Therefore, prevention programs should be implemented to achieve optimal PA and reduce sedentarism during infancy considering the differences found by sex.

Highlights

Physical activity (PA) improves cardiorespiratory fitness and strengthens the musculoskeletal system, contributing to maintain an adequate body composition and preventing childhood obesity [1,2].In this context, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other entities [3,4,5,6] have recommended at least 60 min per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for children and adolescents [7,8]
The aim of the present study is to analyze the time spent on all intensities of PA, measured by accelerometry, and Sedentary time (ST) in a cohort of children followed from pre-pubertal to pubertal status, focusing on gender differences and body mass index (BMI) changes
The number of days with valid PA data recorded was lower in prepubertal time than in pubertal time, both of them were above the recommendations

Summary

Introduction

Physical activity (PA) improves cardiorespiratory fitness and strengthens the musculoskeletal system, contributing to maintain an adequate body composition and preventing childhood obesity [1,2]. In this context, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other entities [3,4,5,6] have recommended at least 60 min per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for children and adolescents [7,8]. A recent review revealed that less than 50% of European children and adolescents meet the WHO recommendations regarding PA when measured subjectively [13], but even those who achieve the 60 min of MVPA may spend a high proportion of their time being sedentary [14]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion