Physical Activity And Barriers To Participation Among Middle School Students In Howard County, Maryland

Abstract

PURPOSE: To identify pre-COVID-19 levels of physical activity, health behaviors related to physical activity and barriers to participation among middle school youth in Howard County, Maryland. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the 2018 Maryland Middle School (6th through 8th grade) Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for Howard County, Maryland (n = 1584) was assessed to characterize associations between physical activity, health behaviors and barriers. Meeting physical activity guidelines was defined as engaging in 7 days of physical activity per week at least 60 minutes per day. Social determinants included access to food, access to sports teams and social support; health behaviors included screen time (e.g., television, computers, video games, etc.). Prevalence estimates and confidence intervals were computed for all outcomes. RESULTS: Overall, 30.3% of children are meeting the criteria for physical activity. A greater percentage of males (36.5%, 95% CI = 32.7-40.5) were meeting these guidelines than females (23.7%, 95% CI = 19.3-28.8). Among black students, significantly fewer females (13.7%, 95% CI = 7.0-25.1) met the requirements than males (35.9%, 95% CI = 29.0-43.6). More white students (74.7%, 95% CI = 67.0-81.1) participated on at least one sports team compared to black (53.7%, 95% CI = 48.2-59.1) and Hispanic/Latino (51.9%, 95% CI = 42.1-61.5) students. Lack of access to food due to finances was reported more frequently for black students (19.7%, 95%CI = 15.3 - 25.2) than white students (7.7%, 95%CI = 4.9 - 12.0). Fewer white students (6.2%, 95%CI = 4.1 - 9.2) were concerned about their quantity of food than black (21.1%, 95%CI = 15.4 - 28.1) or Hispanic students (19.4%, 95%CI = 11.6 - 30.8). In 2018, the overall proportion of students playing video or computer games (3+ hours per day) was 38.9% (95%CI 32.8-45.4), compared to 16.5% (95%CI = 13.8-19.5) watching television. There were no statistically significant differences between gender and race. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, less than one third of middle school students are meeting national physical activity guidelines. There are significant differences in physical activity participation between gender and races, with minorities reporting greater exposure to food and financial hardships.