Abstract
SummaryBackgroundChildren of South Asian decent born in the UK display lower levels of physical activity than British Caucasians although no longitudinal data are available.ObjectivesWe aimed to investigate change in activity levels over 1 year in a diverse ethnic sample of children residing in London, UK.MethodsChildren were categorized into ethnic groups (Caucasian/mixed, Black, South Asian). At baseline and 1‐year follow‐up, children's objective physical activity was monitored (Actigraph accelerometer) for at least 1 day. Mixed models were employed to investigate differences in change in activity levels between ethnic groups.ResultsA total of 281 children were included in the analyses. South Asians had a significantly greater increase in time spent sedentary at follow‐up than those of a Caucasian/mixed ethnicity (B [ratio sedentary/wear time] = 0.024; 95% confidence interval 0.003, 0.046). South Asian children recorded lower moderate to vigorous physical activity at baseline (B = −6.5, 95% confidence interval, −11.1, −1.9 min d−1, p = 0.006) although levels remained relatively stable over follow‐up and changes did not differ across ethnic group.ConclusionsIn a diverse ethnic sample of children from inner city London, those of a South Asian ethnicity exhibited a significantly greater increase in sedentary time over a period of 12 months in comparison with Caucasian/mixed and Black children.
Highlights
Diabetes prevalence is strongly associated with ethnicity
We examined change in sedentary time as the outcome, but for this analysis, we adjusted for the ratio of baseline sedentary/wear time instead
South Asians recorded less time in moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) compared with Caucasians/mixed (B = À6.5, 95% confidence interval [CI], À11.1, À1.9 min dÀ1, p = 0.006) after adjusting for age, sex, wear time and school
Summary
Diabetes prevalence is strongly associated with ethnicity. The Health Survey for England showed that all minority ethnic groups have a higher risk of diabetes compared with the general population [1]. Compared with Caucasians, British South Asian adults are at an increased risk of type II diabetes [2,3]. South Asians show evidence of marked insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia and central adiposity [4]. There is increasing evidence to suggest that differences in risk of type II diabetes emerge in early life. British South Asians are at increased risk of type II diabetes in childhood and adolescence and show evidence of insulin resistance from 10 years of age [4,5,6]
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