Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children's Physical Activity As Perceived by Their Parents.

During recess, children can be active on a daily basis, making it an important school environmental factor for the promotion of health-related physical activity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of providing game equipment on children's physical activity levels during morning recess and lunch break in elementary schools. Seven elementary schools were randomly assigned to the intervention group (four schools), including 122 children (75 boys, 47 girls, mean age: 10.8 +/- 0.6 years), and to the control group (three schools), including 113 children (46 boys, 67 girls, mean age: 10.9 +/- 0.7 years). Children's activity levels were measured before and three months after providing game equipment, using MTI accelerometers. During lunch break, children's moderate and vigorous physical activity significantly increased in the intervention group (moderate: from 38 to 50%, vigorous: from 10 to 11%), while it decreased in the control group (moderate: from 44 to 39%, vigorous: from 11 to 5%). At morning recess, providing game equipment was effective in increasing children's moderate physical activity (from 41 to 45%), while it decreased in the control group (from 41 to 34%). Providing game equipment during recess periods was found to be effective in increasing children's physical activity levels. This finding suggests that promoting physical activity through game equipment provision during recess periods can contribute to reach the daily activity levels recommended for good health.

Attempts to incorporate additional physical activity into the school day have been investigated through the use of classroom-based physical activity programs, such as the Take 10! curriculum (Stewart, Dennison, Kohl, & Doyle, 2004; Rowe, 2005). Studies utilizing Take 10! have yielded mixed results, and to date, the outcomes of Take 10! have not been clearly documented. Further, there is a need to examine children's physical activity levels during Take 10! as compared to other in-school and out-of-school activities. PURPOSE: To investigate children's physical activity levels during Take 10!, as compared to activity levels in PE, recess, lunch, and after-school/ weekend activities. METHODS: Participants were thirty-six children (boys n = 16, girls n = 20) between the ages of 9 and 12 (M age = 10.03 years, SD = 0.81) who were randomly selected from 4th and 5th grade classrooms of two public elementary schools in the Southern United States. Activity levels (average activity count/min) were measured using Actical activity monitors (Mini-Mitter Co., Inc., Bend, OR) over a continuous seven-day period. A 2(gender) x 5(activity) ANOVA with repeated measures on the second factor was used to test for differences in activity levels during Take 10!, PE, recess, lunch, and after-school/ weekend activities. RESULTS: Results revealed a significant main effect for activity (F = 9.01, p < .01) with no gender by activity interaction (F = 0.2, p = .94). Pairwise follow-up analyses yielded higher activity levels during Take 10! (M = 2775.0 counts/min, SD = 1308.0 counts/min; p <.05) than during PE (M = 1813.7 counts/min, SD = 1550.1 counts/min; p<.05), lunch (M= 1371.5 counts/min, SD =450.9 counts/min; p<.01), and after school/weekend activities (M = 1480.4 counts/min, SD = 514.3 counts/min; p <.01). Although not statistically significant, there was a trend suggesting children tended to be more active during Take 10! as compared to recess (M = 2169.7 counts/min, SD = 1389.0 counts/min; p = .14). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study demonstrate that when teachers implement the Take 10! curriculum, children's activity levels can increase. Based on these results, it appears that Take 10! is an effective tool to increase children's activity levels and decrease risk for obesity.

Although it is developmentally appropriate for preschoolers to be highly active, this physical activity level can be difficult for parents to manage at mealtime when children are asked to sit and focus on eating. We examined how children's physical activity levels across the week related to parents' feeding coparenting efforts and how parent feeding pressure and prompts to change the child's activity mediated these associations. From a sample of 100 families with a preschool-age child (3-5 years, 49% female, 59% White, 12% Black, 10% Hispanic, 26% low-income), home dinners with mothers and fathers present were recorded in 65 families for seven consecutive days (455 total meals observed). Coders rated meals for children's activity level and parents' prompts for activity change, pressuring feeding behaviors, and feeding coparenting support, undermining, and balance. Multilevel structural equation models tested direct and indirect associations at within-person and between-person levels. On days children were more active than usual, parents engaged in more supportive feeding coparenting and used more prompts for children's activity change. Fathers' increased prompts for activity change explained associations between child activity level and supportive feeding coparenting. Although fathers' feeding pressure related to more supportive and balanced feeding coparenting, it was not predicted by child activity level and, thus, did not mediate associations between child activity and feeding coparenting. At the between-person level, children who were more physically active had parents who engaged in more undermining feeding coparenting. Results are discussed in terms of the consistency of children's physical activity and fathers' feeding engagement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Several studies have shown that children have sub-optimal physical activity levels. Since preschool children (4–6 years-old) spend most of their time awake in kindergarten on weekdays, physical activity level at kindergarten is crucial. The study examines preschool children's physical activity level at kindergarten. Preschool children's activity level at kindergarten is also investigated related to activity level at leisure, gender, and mothers' education level, income, and age. Two hundred and forty four children (125 boys and 119 girls) supplied valid accelerometer data, and mothers' education level, income, and age were measured using a questionnaire. One-way ANOVA and linear regression were utilized as statistical analyses. The results demonstrated that physical activity level during kindergarten is the main contributor to preschool children's physical activity level on weekdays. Furthermore, boys were more active than girls, and preschool children's physical activity level at both leisure and at kindergarten were not associated with mothers' age, education level, or income. However, a positive association was found between physical activity level at leisure and physical activity level at kindergarten, in which physical activity level at kindergarten increases when physical activity level at leisure increases. Physical activity level was also significantly different between kindergartens. The study indicated that kindergartens increase inequality according to physical activity level among preschool children—contributing to creating differences according to low-active and high-active children.

Most children fail to meet international physical activity (PA) recommendations. Can a single pediatric visit help reverse this trend? Brief counseling is infrequently used in clinical practice and its actual impact on children's activity levels remains uncertain. This study evaluates the impact of medical exercise prescriptions on children's PA levels compared to standard health advice. It also explores whether these prescriptions contribute to reducing daily screen time. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 130 children aged 6-14 years. Participants were randomized into two groups: one received brief standard health advice (HA, 2 min), and the other received a 10-minute intervention including a written medical exercise prescription (MEP). All sessions were delivered by three trained pediatricians following a standardized protocol. PA levels (duration and intensity), screen time, and anthropometric data were collected through the same questionnaires. Physical activity was assessed at 3 and 12 months by the same investigator. Multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate changes over time. Both interventions increased the duration and intensity of physical activity, with a significant increase in the number of children classified as physically active. An inverse relationship was observed between physical activity and screen time, indicating that promoting exercise may help reduce sedentary behavior. Parental satisfaction was high and similar in both groups, suggesting good acceptance of the interventions regardless of their format or duration. A short, focused message from a pediatrician-delivered in just a few minutes-can lead to lasting improvements in children's activity levels and screen habits. Brief health advice was as effective as personalized prescriptions, offering a simple, feasible and low-cost strategy to promote healthier lifestyles in primary care. https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/prs/beta/studies/S000F96J00000036/recordSummary, identifier NCT06765460.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries implemented restrictions, social distancing measures, and lockdowns to limit the spread of the disease. These lockdowns have affected children's screen time (ST), pain, and physical activity (PA) levels. The present study aimed to explore the relationships between ST, pain, age, and PA before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The caregivers of 329 children (median age = 8 years) filled out an online self-reported survey about the children's PA, ST, and pain before, during, and after the COVID-19 curfew. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to explore the associations between these variables. After the curfew, pain that existed before the pandemic had a weak negative relationship with PA intensity (-0.11, p = 0.04) and a weak positive relationship with ST (r = +0.12, p = 0.04). There was a strong positive relationship between ST in all time periods (p > 0.01). PA and ST had a weak negative relationship (p > 0.05) during the curfew and after the curfew but not before the COVID-19 pandemic. Age had a weak positive correlation with ST in all time periods (p > 0.01). In addition, ST was affected by the curfew. The study findings indicated that young children had longer ST during the curfew and after the curfew compared with before the curfew. Increasing PA could lessen children's ST, which could, in turn, increase the probability that their general pain would decrease.

This paper explores parental concern about children's activity levels and whether parents who are concerned about their child's activity provide a supportive environment. A sample of 615 parents of 5–6-year-old children and 947 parents of 10–12-year-old children completed a questionnaire. Just over 50% of parents reported they were concerned their child was not getting enough activity. Children of concerned parents were less active than those whose parents were not concerned. These findings suggest that parents who are concerned about their child's physical activity levels provided a less supportive environment for physical activity than parents who are not concerned. The challenge for public health will be to harness parental concerns and translate them into action.

This paper reviewed the nature of children's physical activity patterns and how the unique nature of children can impact the assessment of physical activity. To accurately assess children's activity patterns, an instrument must be sensitive enough to detect, code, or record sporadic and intermittent activity. Care also must be used to select criterion measures that reflect appropriate physical activity guidelines for children. A number of different measurement approaches have been described for assessing children's activity, but no specific method can be identified as the best option for all studies. Selection of an appropriate instrument depends on the specific research question being addressed as well as the relative importance of accuracy and practicality (Baranowski & Simons-Morton, 1991). For example, accurate measures of energy expenditure using doubly-labeled water, indirect calorimetry, or heart rate calibration equations may be needed for certain clinical studies, but the cost and inconvenience would make them impractical for field-based assessments on larger samples. The "accuracy-practicality" trade-off presents a more challenging predicament with children than for adults. In adults, a number of self-report instruments have been found useful for large epidemiological studies or interventions where less precision is needed. Because of developmental differences, especially in ability to think abstractly and perform detailed recall (Going et al., 1999; Sallis, 1991), children are less likely to make accurate self-report assessment than adults. Though self-report methods are still likely to be a principal source of information for many studies, other approaches (or the use of combined measures) may be needed to better characterize children's activity levels. While objective instruments (e.g., direct observation or activity monitoring) require more time and resources than self-report, there are options available to simplify data collection. One approach may be to focus assessments on key times or places that allow children to be active. The time after school, for example, appears to be a critical period that defines their propensity for physical activity (Hager, 1999). Monitoring of entire groups for discrete periods of time (e.g., recess or physical education) may also be useful to understand variability in activity patterns since children would all be exposed to the same stimulus or opportunity to be active. Proxy measures may also be useful in studying activity in children. For example, several studies (Baranowski, Thompson, DuRant, Baranowski, & Puhl, 1993; Sallis et al., 1993) have demonstrated that time spent outside is strongly predictive of activity in children. Involvement in community sports programs may also be a useful proxy measure as sports programs have been found to account for approximately 55-65% of children's moderate to vigorous activity (Katzmarzyk & Malina, 1999). Another option for improving assessments in children is to employ multiple measures of physical activity. A number of studies (Coleman, Saelens, Wiedrich-Smith, Finn, & Epstein, 1997; McMurray et al., 1998; Sallis et al., 1998; Simons-Morton et al., 1994) have reported differences in levels of activity when activity monitors were compared with self-report data. The method of measurement has also been shown to influence the results of studies on the determinants of physical activity in children (Epstein, Paluch, Coleman, Vito, & Anderson, 1996). While we do not currently know which measure is most accurate, reporting the results with different instruments provides a more complete description of children's activity and permit a triangulation of outcomes. In summary, there remains no single way of obtaining a highly accurate account of physical activity or energy expenditure in children. The nature of children's movement patterns, the various types of activities engaged in, and the inherent limitations of each assessment tool limit the ultima

A quasi-experimental investigation of young children's activity levels and movements in equipment-based and naturalized outdoor play environments

BackgroundSchool recess provides a daily opportunity for children to engage in physically active behaviours. However, few studies have investigated what factors may influence children's physical activity levels in this context. Such information may be important in the development and implementation of recess interventions. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between a range of recess variables and children's sedentary, moderate and vigorous physical activity in this context.MethodsOne hundred and twenty-eight children (39% boys) aged 9-10 years old from 8 elementary schools had their physical activity levels observed during school recess using the System for Observing Children's Activity and Relationships during Play (SOCARP). Playground variables data were also collected at this time. Multilevel prediction models identified variables that were significantly associated with children's sedentary, moderate and vigorous physical activity during recess.ResultsGirls engaged in 13.8% more sedentary activity and 8.2% less vigorous activity than boys during recess. Children with no equipment provision during recess engaged in more sedentary activity and less moderate activity than children provided with equipment. In addition, as play space per child increased, sedentary activity decreased and vigorous activity increased. Temperature was a significant negatively associated with vigorous activity.ConclusionsModifiable and unmodifiable factors were associated with children's sedentary, moderate and vigorous physical activity during recess. Providing portable equipment and specifying areas for activities that dominate the elementary school playground during recess may be two approaches to increase recess physical activity levels, though further research is needed to evaluate the short and long-term impact of such strategies.

Addressing Racial/Ethnic Differences in Age-Related Declines in Physical Activity During Adolescence

BackgroundThis paper aims to assess whether 7-year-olds’ physical activity is associated with family and area-level measures of the physical and socioeconomic environments.MethodsWe analysed the association of environments with physical activity...

In recent years, screen-based activities have become increasingly popular amongst children and adolescents. Several studies have found increased screen time to be associated with sleep disturbances, poorer academic performance and reduced physical activity. However, not much is known about children's activity preferences and participation in relation to their screen time. This study investigated the association between school-aged children's screen time use and their activity participation and physical activity. A sample of 25 parents/caregivers with typically developing children aged 8-12 years in Australia participated. Parents/caregivers completed the Children Screen Time Use Report (CSTUR) and Children Participation Questionnaire-School (CPQ-S). Child participants completed the CSTUR, Preferences for Activities of Children (PAC), Perceived Meaning of Occupations Questionnaire (PMOQ) and Physical Activity Questionnaire-Children (PAQ-C). Data were analyzed using Spearman Rho correlations. Findings from this study found no statistically significant associations between the CSTUR and PAQ-C subscales in children aged 8-12 years. However, there were several significant correlations found between CSTUR and the PAC, PMOQ and CPQ-S scale scores. Occupational therapists need to consider screen-based activities in school age children and the impact it can have on their daily participation.

Are children and adolescents less active if parents restrict their physical activity and active transport due to perceived risk?

Childhood and adolescence are important stages of life for acquiring healthy habits. There is a high prevalence of sedentary lifestyles worldwide during these ages, which negatively impacts health. This is attributed, in part, to excessive time spent engaging in sedentary behaviors. The aim of this study was to assess the time spent on sedentary behaviors and their relationship with physical activity levels in children and adolescents in the Community of Madrid. A total of 26,729 participants aged 10-17 from various schools and institutes took part in this study. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF) was used, and they were asked about the time they spent on different leisure time habits (specific sedentary behaviors and organized physical activity). A generalized linear model was used to analyze the association between the time spent in sedentary activities and the time spent in physical activity. The results revealed that children and adolescents engage in low levels of physical activity and most of them spend considerable time in sedentary behaviors such as studying, watching television, or using social media. Completing school homework (Coef: 1.23, 95% CI: -0.51 to 2.97, p = 0.167) or using social media for more than 2 h (Coef: 1.29, 95% CI: -2.98 to 0.40, p = 0.133) compared to not dedicating time to them did not show a significant association with daily physical activity time. Watching television for more than 2 h was associated with a decrease of 2.60 min (95% CI: -4.41 to -0.78, p = 0.005). Thus, no or only irrelevant associations were found between time spent in sedentary activities and physical activity time. Despite the drawbacks of spending time engaging in sedentary behaviors, they seem to be compatible with physical activity levels. Therefore, it is important to continue research on physical activity adherence strategies to promote overall health and well-being.