Tracking physical activity and sedentary behavior in childhood: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND It would be valuable if at risk groups with low physical activity could be identified early and offered targeted intervention. Unfortunately, little is known about the tracking either of total physical activity, moderate to vigorous activity (MVPA) or sedentary behavior in young children. PURPOSE The aim of the present study was to examine the tracking characteristics of total physical activity (PA), moderate to vigorous activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior in a relatively large and homogeneous sample of young Scottish children over a two-year period. METHODS The tracking of total physical activity, MVPA and sedentary behavior was examined in Glasgow, Scotland, UK at baseline and 24 months later. Subjects were 21 boys and 21 girls (mean age boys 3.8 SD 0.4 and girls 3.7 SD 0.5 at baseline). Total physical activity, MVPA and sedentary behavior were measured objectively for 7 consecutive days at baseline and 24 months later using the MTI/CSA accelerometer. Time spent in MVPA and sedentary behavior was established using published pediatric cut-offs for accelerometry output. In keeping with recent research in this area, tracking of physical activity, MVPA and sedentary behavior were analyzed in three ways: Spearman Rank correlations, percentage agreements, KAPPA statistics. RESULTS For total physical activity Spearman rank correlations ranged from 0.09–0.52; for MVPA Spearman and rank correlations ranged from 0.24–0.44; and for sedentary behavior Spearman rank correlations ranged from −0.09–0.61. Percentage agreement for total physical activity, MVPA and sedentary behavior ranged was 24–38%, 26%–33% and 20%–41% respectively. KAPPA statistics ranged from poor to fair for total physical activity (−0.013–0.005), MVPA (−0.16–0.17) and sedentary behavior (−0.013–0.39). CONCLUSION These results appear to indicate a relatively low to moderate level of tracking of total physical activity, MVPA and sedentary behavior in young Scottish children over a two-year period.

Physical activity is thought to decline during childhood, but the extent of the decline is unknown. We made objective measures of 2-year changes in physical activity and sedentary behavior in English children who participated in the Gateshead Millennium Study to explore the nature, timing, and extent of changes in physical activity and sedentary behavior before adolescence. We conducted a longitudinal study of 405 children (207 girls), aged 7 years, in 2006/2007 and again 24 months later. Physical activity and sedentary behavior were measured with the Actigraph GT1M accelerometer. Data were analyzed in 2010. Changes in total volume of physical activity (accelerometer counts per minute [cpm]), moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA), and sedentary behavior were quantified. Factors associated with changes in physical activity and sedentary behavior were tested by using linear regression. Tracking of physical activity and sedentary behavior over the 2-year period was assessed by rank-order correlation. Mean daily volume of physical activity declined by 83 cpm (interquartile range [IQR]: -189 to 31) over 2 years; the percentage of daily time spent in MVPA was low at baseline and declined by 0.3% (IQR: -1.4 to 0.9). The percentage of daily time in sedentary behavior was high at baseline and increased from 78.0% to 81.1% of the day (change 3.1% [IQR: -0.3 to 6.0]). The decline in MVPA and increase in sedentary behavior were significantly greater in girls and in those with higher BMI z scores at baseline. Physical activity and sedentary behavior showed moderate tracking over the 2-year period. We report here new evidence of low and declining levels of physical activity and MVPA and increasing sedentary behavior before adolescence.

Early childhood is characterised by rapid development and is a critical period for the establishment of activity behaviours. We aim to examine how physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) track during the first 5 years of life, and to investigate associations between trajectories and body composition at 5 years of age. A total of 438 participants (50% male) wore an Actical accelerometer for 5 days at at least two of 1, 2, 3.5 and 5 years of age. Spearman correlation coefficients examined PA tracking from age 1 to 5 and trajectories of PA and SB were estimated using discrete mixture modelling. Regression models tested associations between both PA and SB trajectories and body composition measures. Tracking coefficients for PA ranged from r = 0.31-0.51 across the ages, with similar tracking observed for sedentary behaviour (r = 0.21-0.39). Four distinct trajectory patterns were identified separately for PA and SB: consistently low, consistently high, increasing and decreasing. BMI and waist circumference were not significantly associated with PA trajectories, but those in the consistently high activity group had significantly lower % body fat (95% CI) at age 5 (14.3%; 13.5, 15.2) than those in the consistently low (16.8%; 15.6, 18.2) or increasing (15.7%; 14.7, 16.7) groups (P = 0.017). Sedentary behaviour trajectories were not associated with any of the anthropometric measures at age 5 (P > 0.05). Physical activity and sedentary behaviour tracking is broadly similar from infancy to early childhood. Children with consistently higher levels of physical activity have reduced body fat at 5 years of age, although differences are relatively small.

BackgroundThe growth and development that occurs in early childhood has long-term implications, therefore understanding the relevant determinants is needed to inform early prevention and intervention. The objectives of the study were to examine: 1) the longitudinal associations of physical activity and sedentary behavior with social skills and 2) how physical activity and sedentary behavior track over three time-points.MethodsParticipants were from the Parents’ Role in Establishing healthy Physical activity and Sedentary behavior habits (PREPS) project. A total of 251 eligible toddlers and their parents participated at baseline in 2014/15 (time 1; 1.6 ± 0.2 years) and a sub-sample participated at 1-year (time 2; n = 79; 2.7 ± 0.3 years) and 2-year (time 3; n = 77; 3.7 ± 0.4 years) follow-ups. Sedentary time (≤25 counts/15 s), light-intensity physical activity (LPA; 26–419 counts/15 s), and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA; ≥420/15 s) were objectively measured with wGT3X-BT ActiGraph accelerometers, and standardized for wear time. Parents reported their children’s screen time (television/video, video/computer games) at all three time-points. Parents also reported on children’s social skills using the Adaptive Social Behavior Inventory (ASBI) at time-points 2 and 3, and comply (e.g., cooperates; 10 items), express (e.g., joins play; 13 items), and disrupt (e.g., teases; 7 items) subscales were created by summing items. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were conducted to address objective one. Tracking coefficients (low: β1 < 0.30; moderate: β1 = 0.30–0.59; moderate-high: β1 = 0.60-0.90; high: β1 > 0.9) were conducted using GEE to address objective two.ResultsAcross the study, screen time was negatively associated with express (b = − 0.068, 95%CI: -0.114, − 0.023) and comply (b = − 0.056; 95%CI: -0.094, − 0.018) scores and positively associated with disrupt scores (b = 0.004; 95% CI: 0.001, 0.006). Findings were similar for television/videos but less consistent for video/computer games. No associations were observed for physical activity. Screen time significantly tracked at moderate-high levels (β1 = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.45, 0.81), while all other behaviors tracked at moderate levels (β1 = 0.35–0.49; p < 0.01) over the three time-points.ConclusionsScreen time was unfavorably associated with social skills across early childhood. Furthermore, all behaviors tracked at moderate to moderate-high levels from toddler to preschool ages. Therefore, promoting healthy physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns early in life, especially for screen time, may be important.

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the extent of tracking of physical activity (PA), sports participation (SP), and sedentary behaviors (SB) over four years of high school education among the Croatian Physical Activity in Adolescence Longitudinal Study (CRO-PALS) cohort. Methods: In this investigation, participants were 844 high school students (15.6 years at baseline; 49% girls). The SHAPES questionnaire was used to assess PA, SP, and SB at ages 15, 16, 17, and 18 and tracking was assessed using generalized estimating equations. Results: Tracking coefficients for PA were similar in both sexes, ranged from 0.49 to 0.61, and indicated moderate tracking, while the tracking of SB tended to be somewhat higher over the four years of follow-up (β = 0.60–0.72). Youth that participated in sports at baseline had a 16 to 28 times higher odds of continued participation at follow-up, depending on the type of sport and gender. Finally, both low physical activity and high screen time showed strong tracking in both genders. Conclusion: PA and SB tracked moderately between ages 15 and 18. Moreover, the strong tracking of low PA and high screen time indicates that the detection of these risk factors at the beginning of high school should be advocated.

This study aimed to verify the tracking of physical activity and sedentary behavior in different domains during adolescence. This longitudinal study involved 265 subjects (boys: 52.8%) with an initial mean age of 13.9 (± 1.2) years. Physical activity and sedentary behavior were verified using a questionnaire. The achievement of ≥ 150 min. week-1 of moderate-to-vigorous intensity sport and/or physical exercise for ≥ 1 month was adopted as sufficiently active. The data were collected on 2 occasions, with an average interval of 3 years. The description of the results used the relative frequency and Binary Logistic Regression was used to estimate the crude and adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals). Current physical activity (adjusted odds ratios = 3.05; 95% confidence intervals: 1.77 - 5.26) and sedentary behavior (adjusted odds ratios = 1.81; 95% confidence intervals: 1.03 - 3.19) appear to be significantly influenced by previous behavior, except for light-intensity physical activity. Only 12.8% of the participants remained sufficiently active for sport and/or physical exercise. Practice for at least one month of sport and/or physical exercise at baseline was a predictor of practice in the follow-up, both considering participation for at least one month (adjusted odds ratios = 2.81; 95% confidence intervals: 1.37 - 5.79) and for four months (adjusted odds ratios = 2.47; 95% confidence intervals: 1.17 - 5.24) in the follow-up. Being sufficiently active at baseline increased the chance of being sufficiently active in the follow-up during adolescence. Interventions providing sufficient sport and/or physical exercise could positively influence the chances of practice in the future. For light-intensity physical activity interventions, strategies targeting adherence seem especially relevant

Tracking of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior From Adolescence to Young Adulthood: A Systematic Literature Review

Tracking of total physical activity (PA), moderate to vigorous activity (MVPA), and sedentary behavior was assessed in 42 young children (mean age at baseline 3.8 years) over a 2-year period using the Actigraph accelerometer. Tracking was analyzed using Spearman rank correlations, percentage agreements, and kappa statistics. Spearman rank correlations were r = .35 (p = .002) for total PA, r = .37 (p = .002) for MVPA, and r = .35 (p = .002) for sedentary behavior. Percentage agreements for PA, MVPA, and sedentary behavior were 38, 41, and 26 respectively. Kappa statistics for PA, MVPA, and sedentary behavior ranged from poor to fair. Results suggest low levels of tracking of total physical activity, MVPA, and sedentary behavior in young Scottish children over a 2-year period.

BackgroundDuring transition to retirement there is often a rearrangement of daily life which might provide a key opportunity for interventions to promote a non-sedentary and active lifestyle. To be able...

BackgroundMost studies investigating the association of temperament with physical activity and sedentary behavior have examined children or adolescents, employed cross-sectional or longitudinal designs that do not extend from childhood into adulthood, and utilized self- or parent-reported data on physical activity and sedentary behavior. This longitudinal study investigated whether socioemotional behavior in childhood and temperament in middle adulthood predict accelerometer-measured physical activity and sedentary behavior in late adulthood.MethodsThis study was based on the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development (JYLS). Socioemotional behavior (behavioral activity, well-controlled behavior, negative emotionality) was assessed at age 8 based on teacher ratings, whereas temperament (surgency, effortful control, negative affectivity, orienting sensitivity) was assessed at age 42 based on self-rating. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary behavior were assessed at age 61 using an accelerometer. Data (N = 142) were analyzed using linear regression analysis.ResultsIn women, behavioral activity at age 8 predicted higher levels of daily sedentary behavior at age 61. The association did not remain statistically significant after controlling for participant’s occupational status. In addition, women’s negative affectivity at age 42 predicted lower daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity at age 61, particularly during leisure time. No statistically significant results were observed in men.ConclusionsAlthough few weak associations of socioemotional behavior and temperament with physical activity and sedentary behavior were detected in women, they were observed over several decades, and thus, deserve attention in future studies. In addition to other factors contributing to physical activity and sedentary behavior, health professionals may be sensitive to individual characteristics, such as a tendency to experience more negative emotions, when doing health counseling or planning for health-promoting interventions targeting physical activity and sedentary behavior.

There is now a large body of literature that supports the protective role of physical activity for both physical and psychological health. Sedentary behaviour was previously considered the functional opposite of physical activity, but 10 years ago, Owen and colleagues highlighted the need to study physical activity and sedentary behaviour as two distinct modes of behaviour that can independently influence health [1]. Since then, there has been growing evidence that participation in sedentary behaviours such as television viewing, computer use and sitting at work are associated with higher risk of chronic disease outcomes (type 2 diabetes, obesity), and leisure-time sitting has recently been associated with increased mortality [2]. Growing research points to the possible synergistic effects of physical activity and sedentary behaviours in contributing to health outcomes. This special issue of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine focuses on understanding the psychological correlates and outcomes of sitting and physical activity behaviours in a series of six articles. In the first study, Teychenne, Ball and Salmon systematically review the literature to determine the effects of sedentary behaviour on risk for depression [3]. Although the quality of studies and findings were mixed, the majority and higher quality studies demonstrated that sedentary behaviour is associated with a higher risk of depression and other mental health problems. Their findings also offer preliminary evidence that internet use as a specific sedentary behaviour may actually confer mental health benefits, possibly due to the use of the internet for social connection and support. Importantly, the effect of sedentary activity on mental health may be greater for those with low physical activity levels than those with higher participation in physical activity, and further studies to assess the interrelationships between physical activity and sedentary behaviours are now needed. Paxton, Motl, Aylward and Nigg examine the role of psychological variables in explaining the relationship between physical activity behaviour and global quality of life. In a sample of older and culturally diverse adults, they demonstrate that physical activity behaviour is related to quality of life via an association with mental health difficulties (depression and anxiety) and self-efficacy for physical activity [4]. Participating in physical activity improves both self-efficacy and mental health difficulties, which in turn have complementary positive effects on quality of life.

ObjectivesThe COVID-19 pandemic changed daily routines, including physical activity, which could influence physical and mental health. In our study, we describe physical activity and sedentary behaviour patterns in relation to...

Physical activity and sedentary behaviours are associated with frailty. However, it is unknown if different accumulation patterns of these behaviours are linked with frailty. Four studies were conducted: the first 3 determined if bouts of moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and patterns of sedentary behaviours were associated with frailty (study 1), and if sex (study 2) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) status (study 3) affected these associations. Study 4 systematically reviewed the evidence to determine if preoperative physical activity and sedentary behaviours were linked to postcardiac surgical outcomes. Studies 1-3 used accelerometer data from the 2003-2004/2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Bouted (≥10 min) and sporadic (<10 min) durations of MVPA were analyzed based on meeting a proportion of the physical activity guidelines of 150 min/week. Prolonged sedentary behaviours were measured in bouts lasting ≥30 min. Breaks from sedentary behaviour were any ≥1 min interruption in sedentary time. Average intensity and duration during breaks were analyzed. Frailty was measured with a 46-item frailty index (FI). Study 4 included investigations that linked preoperative physical activity behaviours to postoperative health outcomes. The first 3 studies revealed that sporadic and bouted MVPA were associated with a lower FI. Meeting 1%-49% of the physical activity guidelines had a protective association with frailty. Prolonged sedentary bouts had a more detrimental association with frailty in females than males. Bouted MVPA was associated with a lower FI in CVD participants but not in those without CVD. Average break intensity was associated with a lower FI across studies. Average break duration was associated with frailty in males and in those with CVD. Study 4 included 11 articles, which reported inconsistent findings in relation to self-reported physical activity behaviour and postoperative outcomes in cardiac surgery patients. No studies analyzed sedentary behaviour or frailty. Data from this thesis suggest that bouts of MVPA and patterns of sedentary behaviours are associated with frailty, and support the need to limit extended periods of sedentary time and promote a physically active lifestyle. Studies are needed to determine if preoperative physical activity and sedentary behaviours are associated with postcardiac surgical frailty.

Introduction: Physically inactive lifestyles increase the risk of premature mortality and morbidity. Reducing the time young people spend being inactive is particularly important because epidemiologic data suggest physical inactivity tracks better than physical activity from childhood to early adulthood (Malina, 1996) and small reallocations of sedentary time in favour of more active behaviour can be of clinical significance (Blair et al., 1992). Few studies have examined the many ways young people can be inactive and there is conflicting evidence over the impact of sedentary behaviour on levels of physical activity. The purpose of the present study was to examine the prevalence and interrelationships among sedentary behaviours and physical activity in a cross-national sample of youth ages 11–15. Methods: Participants were 2,501 middle school students from the USA (n = 1757, mean age = 12.9 ± 0.92 yr, 59% female) and UK (n = 744, mean age = 13.0 ± 0.94 yr, 85% female). Using a cross-sectional design, a modified version of the Self-Administered Physical Activity Checklist (SAPAC; Sallis et al., 1996) was used to assess levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Participants were asked to recall the frequency and duration of participation (outside of school) in selected physical (n = 32) and sedentary (n = 7) activities during the past seven days. Cluster analysis was used to identify groups of young people who share similar sedentary and physical activity patterns. Results: A three-cluster solution emerged as valid and reliable for both boys and girls. One cluster contained young people who were physically active and reported more sedentary behaviour than their same-sex peers. For boys in this cluster, sedentary time was dominated by technology-based entertainment (labeled ‘techno-actives'). For girls in this cluster, sedentary time was spent socialising with friends (‘sociable actives'). A second cluster was characterised by low levels of sedentary socialising behaviour but equally high levels of physical activity (‘non-socialising actives'). A final cluster contained young people who reported little or no physical activity and lower levels of sedentary behaviour (‘uninvolved inactives'). Girls in the inactive cluster were more likely to be from the USA and to be older than girls in the active clusters. Chi-square analyses revealed all other clusters to be invariant with regard to age, self-reported body mass index and ethnicity. Discussion: Duration estimates of multiple sedentary behaviours highlight the many ways young people are inactive. Low intercorrelations between sedentary behaviours suggest youth sedentariness is multifaceted and cannot be accurately represented by any one behaviour such as TV viewing. However, because some sedentary behaviours appear inter-related there exists the possibility for shared determinants and the potential for interventions to shift the distribution of multiple inactive behaviours. There were no instances of negative correlations between physical activity and sedentary behaviour which argues against the assumption that physical activity and sedentary behaviour share an inverse and causal relationship. Further study should examine the health-related outcomes associated with sedentary behaviour that may be independent of physical activity and the modifiable determinants of sedentary behaviour among young people. Acknowledgements: Data collection for the USA sample was supported by grant HL54564, National Institutes of Health. Data collection for the UK sample was supported by a grant from NIKE, Inc.

Objective The aim of this systematic review was to summarise and update the existing literature on determinants of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in young people, considering the methodological quality...