Abstract
Background The purpose of the study was to examine differences in objectively measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA min/day) and sedentary time (SED min/day) between different time domains as school hours, leisure time, and weekends. An additional objective addressed causal association between body mass and MVPA. Methods. The study sample consisted of 2015 subjects (51% girls) aged 6–12 years (9.46 ± 1.76) from the Health Oriented Pedagogical Project (HOPP) in south-east Norway. Six days of MVPA min/day and SED min/day were measured using accelerometers and presented as daily averages. The differences in physical activity (PA) were investigated between the time domains of school-hours, leisure time and weekends by age and sex. Data were analyzed using one-and two-way ANOVA. Results. The relative contribution of the different time domains in overall PA was found. Daily average of MVPA min/day and SED min/day differed significantly across the three time domains. The average weekend SED was 56 ± 3.45 and 82 ± 4.12 min/day less when compared with school hours and leisure time, respectively. On average children spent 27 ± 2.74 min/day less in MVPA during school hours, compared with leisure time (p < 0.001), and spent by 38 ± 2.10 min/day more during weekends compared to school hours (p < 0.001). Boys were more physically active than girls, and less time was spent in MVPA with age. Conclusion. With the objective of increasing PA in a child population, the findings indicate that PA intervention programs should target children with higher body mass, girls more than boys, older children more than younger, and during school hours and leisure time more than on weekends.
Highlights
Physical activity (PA) improves joints, bone mass, muscular strength, cardiovascular fitness, and mental well-being, and serves as a crucial component in children’s overall health [1,2,3,4].Interestingly, findings in Norway reveal that most young children (6–12 years) participate in physical activity (PA) longer than the recommended 60 min of daily moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) [5]
A significant difference was found between weekends and school hours (p < 0.001), and leisure time (p < 0.001) with children spending 56 and 82 min/day less in sedentary behavior (SED) during weekends compared with school hours and leisure time, respectively (Figure 1)
Most children achieved the minimum recommendations of 60 min MVPA/day, and boys were physically more active than girls, and time spent in MVPA was lower with age as opposed to time in SED which became higher with age
Summary
Physical activity (PA) improves joints, bone mass, muscular strength, cardiovascular fitness, and mental well-being, and serves as a crucial component in children’s overall health [1,2,3,4].Interestingly, findings in Norway reveal that most young children (6–12 years) participate in PA longer than the recommended 60 min of daily moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) [5]. The purpose of the study was to examine differences in objectively measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA min/day) and sedentary time (SED min/day) between different time domains as school hours, leisure time, and weekends. The differences in physical activity (PA) were investigated between the time domains of school-hours, leisure time and weekends by age and sex. Average of MVPA min/day and SED min/day differed significantly across the three time domains. On average children spent 27 ± 2.74 min/day less in MVPA during school hours, compared with leisure time (p < 0.001), and spent by 38 ± 2.10 min/day more during weekends compared to school hours (p < 0.001). With the objective of increasing PA in a child population, the findings indicate that PA intervention programs should target children with higher body mass, girls more than boys, older children more than younger, and during school hours and leisure time more than on weekends
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