Feasibility of current physical activity recommendations for school age children

Abstract

IntroductionPhysical activity (PA) recommendation for school children includes performing 60 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily of which 30 min should be achieved in 2 bouts of 15 min. Few children achieve such recommendation; therefore, studying natural patterns of children's PA is important to propose feasible PA recommendations.ObjectiveDescribe the frequency of different bout lengths across all BMI range in school children.Methods602 Mexican 8 to 10 year old children were recruited. Weight and height were collected. PA was measured by accelerometry for 7 days. MVPA bouts were identified using Meterplus® software. Valid accelerometer wearing time was at least 3 weekdays and 1 weekday during 10 hours each day. MVPA cut point was ≥2296 counts per minute (Evenson).Results441 children had valid accelerometer data. Proportion of low, normal, overweight and obese were 1%, 64.1%, 12.2% and 22.7% respectively. Median daily MPVA for girls was 27.5 min and 37.3 min for boys, 5.4% of girls and 20% of boys achieved 60 min of MVPA. One min bouts were the most frequent (median=8.3) while median frequency of bouts of ≥10 min was 0.4. Bouts of ≥ 5 min were not frequent (median <1).ConclusionChildren's PA patterns does not support feasibility of current recommendations. Further research is needed to determine efficacy of short bouts to promote health and prevent overweight.Grant Funding Source: Mexican Health Foundation