DAILY ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHILDREN PARTICIPATING IN A 12-WEEK INTERVENTION PROGRAM

Abstract

1575 This study evaluated the daily physical activity of 7-12 y.o. African-American boys and girls during and post-participation in a 12-wk intervention program. The subjects were randomly assigned to a control (n=12) or experimental (n=9) group that met 4 d/wk for 1-hr after school. The control group engaged in sedentary activities while the experimental group engaged in physical activities at 60-85% of HR reserve. A Tritrac-R3D accelerometer was continuously worn for 4-7d during the intervention and 3 months post-intervention. A t-test was used to compare the activity count/min (AC) between groups for the entire day and for the day-periods before-school, during-school, 1-hr after-school, and the rest of the day. The experimental group had a higher AC compared to the control group only during the 1-hr after-school intervention (724 ± 52 vs. 498 ± 40, P<0.05). Total daily AC was not different between groups during or post-intervention. A repeated measures ANOVA revealed that only the experimental group had a higher AC during the 1-hr after-school intervention compared to the other day-periods. A decline in the AC of the experimental group was observed after the 1-hr intervention but it was not lower than the control group (436 ± 37 vs. 428 ± 49, P>0.05). No day-period differences were observed post-intervention. In conclusion, children do not maintain the activity levels outside a physical activity program. Total daily and day-period analysis of activity must be considered when evaluating physical activity programs for children.