Abstract
The achievement of recommended levels (≥ 30 min/day) of school moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is paramount to decrease risk of chronic disease in children from low-income families. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors and grade-level trends of school day MVPA achievement in low-income children. Data were collected during the Fall of 2014 on 1232 children (Mean age = 8.8 ± 1.6 years; 625 girls, 607 boys) recruited from three low-income schools from the state of Utah in the U.S. Children wore pedometers for one school week and a stratified random subsample (n = 533) also wore accelerometers to record sedentary time and MVPA. Generalized linear mixed models were employed to calculate odds ratios for achieving school MVPA standards (≥ 30 min/day) from various predictors and to determine odds of achievement across grade levels, accounting for school and classroom clustering. Odds of meeting MVPA standards were 3 times greater if a student achieved at least 6000 steps during the school day (p < 0.01), and were 55% lower for every 1% increase in sedentary time (p < 0.001). Older children had 26% lower odds of meeting the recommended levels of MVPA compared to children in an immediately younger grade level (p < 0.05). A significant proportion of MVPA variance was explained by classroom and school affiliation (Rho = 0.09 to 0.54, p < 0.001). Daily steps, sedentary times, grade level, and classroom and school affiliation associate with school MVPA achievement in low-income children.
Highlights
The health benefits of optimal levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) are numerous in school-aged children (Boreham and Riddoch, 2001; Mitchell et al, 2013; Trudeau and Shephard, 2008; Yli-Piipari et al, 2012)
Physical activity data from pedometers and accelerometers were stratified into a binary classification scheme having levels of “meeting” and “not meeting” school day standards for MVPA
A dichotomous variable was calculated from accelerometer data using an average MVPA per school day cut-point of ≥30 min per day recommended by the Institute of Medicine (2013)
Summary
The health benefits of optimal levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) are numerous in school-aged children (Boreham and Riddoch, 2001; Mitchell et al, 2013; Trudeau and Shephard, 2008; Yli-Piipari et al, 2012). The majority of the school day is spent in sedentary behaviors, there are specific times where children have opportunities to engage in active play to increase their daily physical activity levels. Despite the opportunities for school-aged children to engage in active play, many children do not fully participate in leisure time physical activity and fail to meet the recommended 30 min of MVPA during school hours and 60 min during the entire day (Troiano et al, 2008; U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2008; Dumith et al, 2011)
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