Activity Patterns Of Children Research Articles

Children's personal exposure to air pollution in rural villages in Bhutan

Exposure assessment studies conducted in developing countries have been based on fixed-site monitoring to date. This is a major deficiency, leading to errors in estimating the actual exposures, which are a function of time spent and pollutant concentrations in different microenvironments. This study quantified school children's daily personal exposure to ultrafine particles (UFP) using real-time monitoring, as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and NO2 using passive sampling in rural Bhutan in order to determine the factors driving the exposures. An activity diary was used to track children's time activity patterns, and difference in mean exposure levels across sex and indoor/outdoor were investigated with ANOVA. 82 children, attending three primary schools participated in this study; S1 and S2 during the wet season and S3 during the dry season. Mean daily UFP exposure (cm–3) was 1.08×104 for children attending S1, 9.81×103 for S2, and 4.19×104 for S3. The mean daily NO2 exposure (µgm−3) was 4.27 for S1, 3.33 for S2 and 5.38 for S3 children. Likewise, children attending S3 also experienced higher daily exposure to a majority of the VOCs than those attending S1 and S2. Time-series of UFP personal exposures provided detailed information on identifying sources of these particles and quantifying their contributions to the total daily exposures for each microenvironment. The highest UFP exposure resulted from cooking/eating, contributing to 64% of the daily exposure, due to firewood combustion in houses using traditional mud cookstoves. The lowest UFP exposures were during the hours that children spent outdoors at school. The outcomes of this study highlight the significant contributions of lifestyle and socio-economic factors in personal exposures and have applications in environmental risk assessment and household air pollution mitigation in Bhutan.

Cardiac tamponade, a medical concept known in medieval times

[1] Magnussen CG, Smith KJ, Juonala M. When to prevent cardiovascular disease? As early as possible: lessons from prospective cohorts beginning in childhood. Curr Opin Cardiol 2013;28:561–8. [2] Sandercock GR, Voss C, Dye L. Associations between habitual school-day breakfast consumption, body mass index, physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in English schoolchildren. Eur J Clin Nutr 2010;64:1086–92. [3] Kollias A, Antonodimitrakis P, Grammatikos E, Chatziantonakis N, Grammatikos EE, Stergiou GS. Trends in high blood pressure prevalence in Greek adolescents. J Hum Hypertens 2009;23:385–90. [4] Ogunleye AA, Voss C, Barton JL, Pretty JN, Sandercock GR. Contrasting physical activity patterns in children and adolescents living in differing environments in the UK. Scand J Public Health 2011;39:696–703. [5] World Health Organization. Adolescent health. Accessed on 4 May, 2014http:// www.who.int/topics/adolescent_health/en/. [6] Leger LA, Mercier D, Gadoury C, Lambert J. The multistage 20 meter shuttle run test for aerobic fitness. J Sports Sci 1988;6:93–101. [7] Voss C, Ogunleye AA, Sandercock GR. Physical Activity Questionnaire for children and adolescents: English norms and cut-off points. Pediatr Int 2013;55:498–507. [8] National Obesity Observatory. A simple guide to classifying body mass index in children. A c c e s s v i a h t t p : / / w w w . n o o . o r g . u k / u p l o a d s / d o c / vid_11601_A_simple_guide_to_classifying_BMI_in_children.pdf. [9] NationalHigh Blood Pressure Education ProgramWorkingGroup onHighBlood Pressure in Children, Adolescents. The fourth report on the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of high bloodpressure inchildrenandadolescents.Pediatrics2004;114(2Suppl4thReport):555–76.

Macro-activity patterns of farmworker and non-farmworker children living in an agricultural community

BackgroundChildren of farmworkers have significantly higher exposure to pesticides than do other children living in the same agricultural communities, but there is limited information about how and where older farmworker children (>6) spend their time and how their activities might influence the risk of pesticide exposure. ObjectivesUsing data from the Community Based Participatory Research Study for Healthy Kids, we compared activity patterns recorded over 7 days during two agricultural seasons (pre thinning and thinning) between farmworker and non-farmworker children aged 6–12 years old living in Eastern Washington State. MethodsParents completed a 7-day activity diary recording the activity patterns of their children. Mean differences in individual-level activity patterns across season were analyzed using paired t-tests and the Signed Rank Test. Differences in mean activity patterns comparing farmworker and non-farmworker children were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Sum Rank Test to assess differences in distributions across independent samples. ResultsWe observed substantial differences in child activity patterns between the two seasons. The children in this sample spent more time outdoors (p<0.001) and were more likely to engage in behaviors, such as playing in the fields (p=0.01) and accompanying their parents to work in the fields (p=0.001) during the high-spray thinning season. There were some differences in activities and behaviors between farmworker and non-farmworker children during the thinning season. ConclusionThis study demonstrates that multiple factors, including agricultural season and parental occupation, may be associated with differences in activity patterns that could influence risk of pesticide exposure among children living in agricultural communities. As such, these factors may influence variation in exposure risks and should be considered when analyzing pesticide exposure measurements in these groups.

Erratum for the article by Taverno Ross et al in PES 25(2).

In the article by Taverno Ross S, Dowda M, Saunders R, Pate R, "Double dose: The cumulative effect of TV viewing at home and in preschool on children's activity patterns and weight status," in Pediatr Exerc Sci. 25(2), p. 262-272, the authors incorrectly stated that children in the High TV-Combined group had significantly lower levels of MVPA compared with children in the Low TV-Combined group. However, as shown in Table 3, children in the High TV-Combined group had higher MVPA than the Low TV-Combined group. Given that all other differences between High TV and Low TV groups were not significantly different and the erroneously interpreted difference was marginally significant (p =.047), the authors believe that the proper interpretation of the findings is that TV exposure was not associated with children's physical activity.

Obesity and physical activity patterns in children and adolescents

The aim of this study is to measure objectively and accurately the physical activity (PA) patterns in Spanish children and adolescents according to their obesity status, gender and age groups. A sample of 487 children and 274 adolescents from the European Youth Heart Study participated in the study. The variables measured were anthropometric characteristics (height, weight and body mass index), and PA was measured during 6 consecutive days using the GT1M accelerometer. Three-way analysis of variance (age × gender × obesity status) showed significant differences in the interaction effect in age, gender and obesity status (normal-weight and overweight/obesity) for mean of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) (P = 0.02) and vigorous PA (VPA) (P = 0.014) within the sample. Nine-year-old normal-weight children achieved significantly (P < 0.05) more MVPA on weekdays than 9-year-old overweight/obesity children. During weekend days, all sample achieved significant more MVPA (P < 0.01) and significant more VPA (P < 0.05) than during weekdays. Few children (37.5% of 9-year-old normal-weight and 34.0% of 9-year-old overweight/obese) and adolescents (16.4% and 27.3% normal-weight and overweight/obese, respectively) met the current health-related recommendations of 60 min of MVPA daily. It is clear that activity levels are insufficient for all children, in particular overweight/obese children and adolescents, although the precise nature of the relationship appears to differ between boys and girls.

The Steep Ramp Test in Dutch White Children and Adolescents: Age- and Sex-Related Normative Values

The Steep Ramp Test (SRT), a feasible, reliable, and valid exercise test on a cycle ergometer, may be more appealing for use in children in daily clinical practice than the traditional cardiopulmonary exercise test because of its short duration, its resemblance to children's daily activity patterns, and the fact that it does not require respiratory gas analysis. The aim of the present study was to provide sex- and age-related normative values for SRT performance in Dutch white children and adolescents who were healthy and 8 to 19 years old. This was a cross-sectional, observational study. A total of 252 Dutch white children and adolescents, 118 boys (mean age=13.4 years, SD=3.0) and 134 girls (mean age=13.4 years, SD=2.9), performed the SRT (work rate increment of 10, 15, or 20 W·10 s(-1), depending on body height) to voluntary exhaustion to assess peak work rate (WRpeak). Normative values are presented as reference centiles developed by use of generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape. Peak work rate correlated highly with age (r=.915 and r=.811), body mass (r=.870 and r=.850), body height (r=.922 and r=.896), body surface area (r=.906 and r=.885), and fat free mass (r=.930 and r=.902) in boys and girls, respectively. The reference curves demonstrated an almost linear increase in WRpeak with age in boys, even when WRpeak was normalized for body mass. In contrast, absolute WRpeak in girls increased constantly until the age of approximately 13 years, when it started to level off. Peak work rate normalized for body mass in girls showed only a slight increase with age until 14 years of age, when a slight decrease in relative WRpeak was observed. The sample may not have been entirely representative of the Dutch population. The present study provides sex- and age-related normative values for SRT performance in terms of both absolute WRpeak and relative WRpeak, thereby facilitating the interpretation of SRT results by clinicians and researchers.

Double dose: the cumulative effect of TV viewing at home and in preschool on children's activity patterns and weight status.

Little is known about how screen-based sedentary behavior at home and in preschool influences children's health and activity patterns. The current study examined the individual and cumulative influence of TV viewing at home and in preschool on children's physical activity (PA) and weight status. Children (n = 339) attending 16 preschools in South Carolina were grouped into high and low TV groups based on parent report of children's TV viewing at home and director report of TV use/rules in preschool. T-tests and mixed model ANOVAs examined differences in weight status and PA (min/hr) by high and low TV groups. Results revealed that children who were classified as High TV both at home and in pre- school had significantly lower levels of moderate-to-vigorous PA compared with their Low TV counterparts (8.3 (0.3) min/hr vs. 7.6 (0.2) min/hr, p < .05). However, there were no significant differences in weight status or physical activity between the high and low TV groups at home or in preschool when examined individually. These findings demonstrate the importance of total environmental TV exposure on preschooler's PA. Longitudinal and observational research to assess preschoolers' cumulative screen-based sedentary behavior and its relationship with PA and weight status is needed.

Mass affects lower extremity muscle activity patterns in children's gait

Overweight children demonstrate biomechanical differences during gait; however it is not known if these differences occur within active or passive tissue. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in lower extremity muscle activation patterns of children with different body mass during three walking speeds. Twenty children (8–12 years) were recruited and classified as overweight (OW), normal-weight (NW), or underweight (UW). Electromyography was recorded for vastus lateralis, semitendinosus, gastrocnemius, and tibialis anterior while participants walked on a treadmill at slow (SP), self-selected (SSP), and fast (FP) speeds. Differences in group and walking speed were analyzed for duration of muscle activation (presented as a percentage of stride, stance, or swing phases). Compared to OW, UW experienced greater duration of vastus lateralis and tibialis anterior activation during the swing phase. OW had greater duration of gastrocnemius activation during stride than UW. Increased walking speed resulted in greater duration of vastus lateralis activation for all groups. NW also exhibited greater duration of tibialis anterior activation at faster walking speeds. During FP, OW had greater duration of gastrocnemius activity during stance, but lower duration during swing. These findings are consistent with the idea that children with greater mass adopt a more passive gait strategy during swing to maximize energy recovery. Increased duration of gastrocnemius activity during stance also provides greater stability and stronger propulsion, which corroborates previous research. These findings help to understand the neuromuscular mechanisms associated with previous biomechanical findings in children's gait.

The Impact of Ethnicity on Objectively Measured Physical Activity in Children

Obesity and obesity-related diseases (cardiovascular disease/metabolic risk factors) are experienced differently in individuals from different ethnic backgrounds, which originate in childhood. Physical activity is a modifiable risk factor for obesity and related diseases. Both physical activity and metabolic risk factors track to adulthood, and thus understanding the physical activity patterns in children from different ethnic backgrounds is important. Given the limitations of self-report measures in children, this study provides a review of studies which have objectively measured physical activity patterns in children from different ethnic backgrounds. From a total of 16 studies, it can be concluded that physical activity does seem to vary amongst the ethnic groups especially South Asian and Black compared to White EU (European Union). The findings are less consistent for Hispanic/Mexican American children. However, there are several methodological limitations which need to be considered in future studies. Firstly, there is a need for consistency in the measurement of physical activity. Secondly, there are a range of complex factors such as socioeconomic status and body composition which affect both physical activity and ethnicity. Studies have failed to account for these differences limiting the ability to generalise that ethnicity is an independent risk factor for physical activity.

Frontal lobe connectivity and cognitive impairment in pediatric frontal lobe epilepsy

Cognitive impairment is frequent in children with frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE), but its etiology is unknown. With functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we have explored the relationship between brain activation, functional connectivity, and cognitive functioning in a cohort of pediatric patients with FLE and healthy controls. Thirty-two children aged 8-13 years with FLE of unknown cause and 41 healthy age-matched controls underwent neuropsychological assessment and structural and functional brain MRI. We investigated to which extent brain regions activated in response to a working memory task and assessed functional connectivity between distant brain regions. Data of patients were compared to controls, and patients were grouped as cognitively impaired or unimpaired. Children with FLE showed a global decrease in functional brain connectivity compared to healthy controls, whereas brain activation patterns in children with FLE remained relatively intact. Children with FLE complicated by cognitive impairment typically showed a decrease in frontal lobe connectivity. This decreased frontal lobe connectivity comprised both connections within the frontal lobe as well as connections from the frontal lobe to the parietal lobe, temporal lobe, cerebellum, and basal ganglia. Decreased functional frontal lobe connectivity is associated with cognitive impairment in pediatric FLE. The importance of impairment of functional integrity within the frontal lobe network, as well as its connections to distant areas, provides new insights in the etiology of the broad-range cognitive impairments in children with FLE.

Uptake and effects of a new sport program at a school in a disadvantaged locality

Introduction: On any day, ∼55% of 11–13-year-olds play some kind of sport. However, recent research has shown that there are demographic effects on the activity patterns of children, with youth from lower socio-economic and single-parent family structures less likely to participate. This study investigated the uptake by 11–12 year olds in a disadvantaged locality of a new sport involving a modified, low-risk form of boxing (Box’Tag), and assessed the outcomes of their involvement.

After-school setting, physical activity, and sedentary behavior in 5th grade boys and girls

After-school hours are considered critical for children's physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors (SB); however, whether the after-school setting influences children's activity patterns is unknown. This study examined the influence of after-school setting (i.e., parent report of the child's usual after-school setting) on 5th grade children's PA and SB, and differences by race/ethnicity. Boys whose parents reported they usually attended an after-school program had higher PA than boys who usually went home after school. A significant interaction between race/ethnicity and after-school setting showed that minority girls whose parents reported they usually attended an after-school program had higher PA and engaged in less SB compared with those who usually went home, whereas the activity patterns of white girls did not differ by after-school setting. Children's usual after-school setting affects their activity patterns; after-school programs may potentially increase PA in boys and minority girls.

School day segmented physical activity patterns of high and low active children

BackgroundVariability exists in children’s activity patterns due to the association with environmental, social, demographic, and inter-individual factors. This study described accelerometer assessed physical activity patterns of high and low active children during segmented school week days whilst controlling for potential correlates.MethodsTwo hundred and twenty-three children (mean age: 10.7 ± 0.3 yrs, 55.6% girls, 18.9% overweight/obese) from 8 north-west England primary schools wore ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers for 7 consecutive days during autumn of 2009. ActiGraph counts were converted to minutes of moderate (MPA), vigorous (VPA) and moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) physical activity. Children were classified as high active (HIGH) or low active (LOW) depending on the percentage of week days they accumulated at least 60 minutes of MVPA. Minutes spent in MPA and VPA were calculated for school time and non-school time and for five discrete school day segments (before-school, class time, recess, lunchtime, and after-school). Data were analysed using multi-level modelling.ResultsThe HIGH group spent significantly longer in MPA and/or VPA before-school, during class time, lunchtime, and after-school (P < .05), independent of child and school level factors. The greatest differences occurred after-school (MPA = 5.5 minutes, VPA = 3.8 minutes, P < 0.001). MPA and VPA were also associated with gender, BMI z-score, number of enrolled children, playground area per student, and temperature, depending on the segment analysed.The additive effect of the segment differences was that the HIGH group accumulated 12.5 minutes per day more MVPA than the LOW group.ConclusionsHIGH active children achieved significantly more MPA and VPA than LOW active during four of the five segments of the school day when analyses were adjusted for potential correlates. Physical activity promotion strategies targeting low active children during discretionary physical activity segments of the day, and particularly via structured afterschool physical activity programs may be beneficial.

The Distribution of Physical Activity in an After-school Friendship Network

To examine whether a child's friendship network in an afterschool program influences his/her physical activity. Three waves of data were collected from school-aged children participating in aftercare (n = 81; mean [SD] age, 7.96 [1.74] years; 40% African American, 39% white, and 19% Latino) a name generator survey was used to map each child's social network, and accelerometers were used to measure physical activity. We applied stochastic actor-based modeling for social networks and behavior. Children did not form or dissolve friendships based on physical activity levels, but existing friendships heavily influenced children's level of physical activity. The strongest influence on the amount of time children spent in moderate-to-vigorous activity in the afterschool hours was the activity level of their immediate friends. Children consistently made adjustments to their activity levels of 10% or more to emulate the activity levels of their peers (odds ratio [OR] = 6.89, P < .01). Age (OR = 0.92, P < .10) and obesity status (OR = 0.66, P < .10) had marginally significant and relatively small direct effects on the activity. Gender had no direct effect on activity. These results suggest that friendship ties play a critical role in setting physical activity patterns in children as young as 5 to 12 years. Children's activity levels can be increased, decreased, or stabilized depending on the activity level of their immediate social network during a 12-week afterschool program. Network-based interventions hold the potential to produce clinically significant changes to children's physical activity.

Are Kids Too Busy? Early Adolescents' Perceptions of Discretionary Activities, Overscheduling, and Stress

The activity patterns of children, especially after-school patterns, are receiving more professional attention. However, evidence regarding the value of various activities in children's lives is contradictory. The purpose of this study was to assess perceptions of discretionary activities, overscheduling, and levels of stress from adolescents' perspective. A sample of 882 children, ages 9 to 13, recruited at 9 health education centers in the United States was selected for this study. Children answered questionnaires using remote, handheld devices. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression. The outcomes of interest were activity-based stress and desire for more free time. The primary predictor for the desire for more free time was hours of screen time (television, computer, video games): those who reported 3 or more hours were nearly 3 times more likely to desire more free time. Further, children who chose their own activities experienced more activity-related stress than those who shared decisions with parents. The single greatest predictor of activity-related stress was the reported number of hours spent on homework. Students who averaged at least 2 hours on homework per night were nearly twice as likely to report frequent activity-related stress. Parents of school-aged children should assess activity-related stress and the degree to which children perceive they are busy. Teachers, school counselors, and school administrators should be aware of these perceptions as they are making decisions regarding school schedules and should teach personal skills such as time management and stress control.

Contrasting physical activity patterns in children and adolescents living in differing environments in the UK

There is evidence for lower physical activity (PA) in rural adults; it is important to evaluate how the environment influences the PA of children and adolescents. We compared the PA of 6485 English 10-15.9 year olds according to two systems for classifying the immediate environment. System one compared urban and rural areas. System two compared urban, town and fringe, and rural areas. Analyses were carried out separately for children (<13 years) and adolescents (>13 years). Rural children were more active than those from urban areas (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.15-1.66) as were adolescents (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.11-1.51). Using trilateral division, children were more active if they lived in town and fringe (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.03-1.67) or rural (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.14-1.84) areas compared with urban areas. Adolescents from town and fringe areas were more active than urban dwellers (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.24-1.81). Rural adolescents' PA did not differ from urban dwellers'. Rural environments support PA in children but not that of adolescents. Town and fringe areas with mixed elements of rural and urban land use appear to facilitate and sustain PA in both children and adolescents.

Interventions that involve parents to improve children's weight‐related nutrition intake and activity patterns – what nutrition and activity targets and behaviour change techniques are associated with intervention effectiveness?

Parent involvement is an important component of obesity prevention interventions. However, the best way to support parents remains unclear. This review identifies interventions targeting parents to improve children's weight status, dietary and/or activity patterns, examines whether intervention content and behaviour change techniques employed are associated with effectiveness. Seventeen studies, in English, 1998-2008, were included. Studies were evaluated by two reviewers for study quality, nutrition/activity content and behaviour change techniques using a validated quality assessment tool and behaviour change technique taxonomy. Study findings favoured intervention effectiveness in 11 of 17 studies. Interventions that were considered effective had similar features: better study quality, parents responsible for participation and implementation, greater parental involvement and inclusion of prompt barrier identification, restructure the home environment, prompt self-monitoring, prompt specific goal setting behaviour change techniques. Energy intake/density and food choices were more likely to be targeted in effective interventions. The number of lifestyle behaviours targeted did not appear to be associated with effectiveness. Intervention effectiveness was favoured when behaviour change techniques spanned the spectrum of behaviour change process. The review provides guidance for researchers to make informed decisions on how best to utilize resources in interventions to support and engage parents, and highlights a need for improvement in intervention content reporting practices.

A Pilot Study Examining Activity Participation, Sensory Responsiveness, and Competence in Children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

This pilot study explored activity patterns in children with and without ASD and examined the role of sensory responsiveness in determining children's level of competence in activity performance. Twenty-six children with high functioning ASD and twenty-six typically-developing children 6-12years old were assessed using the Sensory Profile and the Child Behavior Checklist. Results reflect differences in the types of activities and jobs/chores engaged in by children with ASD compared to children without ASD. Significant differences were seen in overall level of competence in activities, social, and school performance. Children demonstrating more frequent Sensory Sensitivity and Sensory Avoiding had significantly lower competence scores than children with fewer behaviors in these domains, suggesting that sensory responsiveness may impact the ability to participate successfully.

Dietary and Physical Activity Patterns in Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Dietary and Physical Activity Patterns in Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The influence of ICT on the activity patterns of children with physical disabilities outside school

To investigate the outside school activity patterns of children with physical disabilities, and specifically their information and communication technology (ICT) usage compared with that of non-disabled children. In addition, the aim was to investigate the children's opinions on computer use and the associations between their use of the Internet and their interaction with peers. Questionnaire on activities outside school, answered by 215 children and youths with physical disabilities, mean age 12 years 10 months, attending mainstream schools. For group comparisons with non-disabled children, data from the survey 'Kids and Media' were used. In the analysis, two sets of activity patterns were identified, depending on whether the child was disabled or not and on the gender of the child. A higher proportion of children with physical disabilities were engaged in ICT activities, while non-disabled children tended to be engaged in a broader range of activities outside school. The activity pattern was more uniform for boys and girls with disabilities than for their non-disabled peers. Use of the Internet was positively associated with peer interaction. Outside school, the activity patterns of children and youths with physical disabilities seem to be characterized by a focus on ICT activities, which enable children to compensate for their impairment because it suits all. In addition, digital skills developed outside school engage children with physical disabilities, giving them increased access to society and for educational purposes.