Pedometer determined physical activity levels in primary school children from central England

OBJECTIVE: To assess ambulatory physical activity in school children from central England, to examine any variation in activity between weekdays and weekends and to determine the percentage of children meeting recently identified cut-off steps/day for health. METHOD: 208 British primary school children (101 boys and 107 girls, mean age 9.3+/-0.9 years) from central England wore a sealed pedometer for 4 consecutive days (2 weekend and 2 weekdays) during 2006 from which daily step counts were determined. Data were collected over winter, spring and summer terms. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine potential time (weekend versus weekday), gender and age differences in steps/day. RESULTS: Children attained significantly higher mean steps/day during weekdays than weekends (p<0.001), and boys attained significantly higher mean steps/day than girls (p<0.05). Mean steps/day values were 13,827 (38,201) and 10,334 (4436) for weekdays and weekends and 12,263 (3789) and 11,748 (3310) for boys and girls respectively. 28.7% of boys and 46.7% of girls met or exceeded the BMI referenced cut-offs for health. CONCLUSION: Physical activity was greater during weekdays compared to weekends and boys were more active than girls but the majority of children did not meet the health-related cut-off points.     

Prevalence and correlates of active traveling to school among adolescents in Cyprus

More data regarding prevalence and correlates of active travel to school are needed from different parts of the world. The purpose of this study was to examine prevalence and correlates of active travel to school among adolescents in Cyprus. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1966 adolescents attending grade 6, grades 7-9, grades 10-12 and technical/vocational schools in Cyprus. Overall prevalence of active travel to school was 19.4%. Parental perceptions of safe route to school, other children walking to school from the child's neighborhood and school location (urban versus rural) were associated with active travel across different levels of education. Having enough time to walk to school in the moming was the most consistent correlate of active travel. Low prevalence estimates of active traveling to school among adolescents in Cyprus raise the need to promote this source of daily physical activity.     

Physical activity patterns and sedentary behaviors of children from urban and rural areas of Cyprus

BACKGROUND: A sedentary lifestyle among children is becoming increasingly common and has been linked to future risk of degenerative diseases. Urban residence has been suggested to be a contributing factor to a less active lifestyle; however, not all available studies support this link. In the present study we examined the physical activity patterns and sedentary behaviours of children living in urban and rural areas of Cyprus, where major demographic shifts have occurred the last decades. METHODS: We studied 1140 children (531 boys; 609 girls), aged 10-12 years, registered in 24 selected elementary public schools from five urban and rural districts of Cyprus. Children completed a semi-quantitative physical activity questionnaire regarding frequency and duration of everyday physical and sedentary activities. Weight and height of the children, as well as demographic and socioeconomic information was collected from children and their guardians. RESULTS: Rural children reported being slightly more active after school and occupied weekly with outdoors chores compared to urban children, who on the other hand reported engaging in sports on a weekly basis more than their rural peers (all p < 0.10). However, the average weekly time spent by urban and rural children on vigorous (8.6 +/- 4.7 and 9.1 +/- 4.8 h/w, respectively; p = 0.193) or moderate-to-vigorous (14.9 +/- 7.6 and 15.2 +/- 7.6 h/w, respectively; p = 0.612) activities, as well as total screen time, were not different. The distribution of children with regards to most other physical activity and inactivity pursuits was similar between urban and rural areas. CONCLUSION: We found no substantial differences in the physical activity habits and sedentary behaviours among children living in urban and rural areas of Cyprus. Hence public health awareness directed to enhance physical activity and decrease sedentary lifestyle among youngsters should focus equally to urban and rural children.     

Parent knowledge and opinions of school health services in an urban public school system

Health services, provided through schools for more than 100 years, increasingly have expanded to meet preventive as well as acute health care needs of children. This article reports on a survey of parents of third-grade children in an urban public school system. The authors examined what parents know about school health services, what value they place on the services, and what barriers exist to health care access. Results indicated parents place a high value on health services offered in schools, but they know little about service availability and use. Parents often were unaware their children received many of the services listed, such as review of school health records, vision and hearing screening, and health education by school nurses.     

Parent's views of the importance of making changes in settings where children spend time to prevent obesity

AIM: To examine the kinds of changes parents would like to see in those settings where children spend time (kindergartens and schools, child care centres and after-school care facilities, and the local neighbourhood) in policies and practices that impact on children's risk of obesity, and to establish whether parents might be willing to advocate for changes in these settings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 175 parents from five randomly selected primary schools and five randomly selected kindergartens located in suburbs of metropolitan Melbourne completed a questionnaire in which they rated the importance of a number of potential changes to promote healthy eating and increase physical activity in their children. RESULTS: Parents of children in kindergarten most commonly rated changes to the eating environment as important. In contrast, parents of primary school children believed changes related to both eating and physical activity in school were important. Ninety-five per cent of parents of kindergarten children and 89% of parents of primary school children believed it was possible for parents to bring about change to provide more opportunities for their child to eat more healthily and be more physically active. One in four parents reported that they had thought about or had tried to bring about changes in their community. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that mobilising parents to take an active role in advocating for change in those settings that have the potential to shape their children's physical activity and eating behaviours may be feasible.     

Rural-urban differences in physical activity, physical fitness, and overweight prevalence of children.

CONTEXT: The increasing prevalence of overweight in youth has been well chronicled, but less is known about the unique patterns and risks that may exist in rural and urban environments. A better understanding of possible rural-urban differences in physical activity profiles may facilitate the development of more targeted physical activity interventions. METHODS: Participants (1,687 boys; 1,729 girls) were recruited from fourth, fifth, and sixth grade classes in schools from urban areas, small cities, and rural areas. Multilevel modeling analysis was used to examine rural-urban differences in physical activity and prevalence of overweight. Physical activity was assessed by self-report and body mass index was calculated from measured height and weight. FINDINGS: Prevalence of overweight was higher among rural children (25%; P<.001) than children from urban areas (19%) and small cities (17%). Urban children were the least active overall (Cohens' d=-0.4), particularly around lunchtime while at school (d=-0.9 to -1.1). Children from small cities reported the highest levels of physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest there are rural-urban differences in children's prevalence of overweight and physical activity even within a fairly homogenous Midwestern state.     

Trends in children's physical activity and weight status in high and low socio-economic status areas of Melbourne, Victoria, 1985-2001

OBJECTIVE: To examine trends in active transport to and from school, in school sport and physical education (PE), and in weight status among children from high and low socio-economic status (SES) areas in Melbourne, Victoria, between 1985 and 2001. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey data and measured height and weight from 1985 (n=557) and 2001 (n=926) were compared for children aged between 9-13 years within high and low SES areas. RESULTS: From 1985 to 2001, the frequency of walking to or from school declined (4.38 +/- 4.3 vs. 3.61 +/- 3.8 trips/wk, p<0.001), cycling to or from school also declined (1.22 +/- 2.9 vs. 0.36 +/- 1.5 trips/wk, p<0.001), and the frequency of PE lessons declined (1.64 +/- 1.1 vs. 1.18 +/- 0.9 lessons/wk, p<0.001). However, the frequency of school sport increased (0.9 +/- 1.22 vs. 1.24 +/- 0.8 sessions/wk, p<0.001). In 1985, 11.7% of children were overweight or obese compared with 28.7% in 2001 (p<0.001). Apart from walking to school and school sport, there were greater relative declines in cycling to school and PE, and increases in overweight and obesity among children attending schools in low SES areas compared with those attending schools in high SES areas. CONCLUSIONS: Declines in active school transport and PE have occurred at the same time as increases in overweight and obesity among Australian children. IMPLICATIONS: Promoting active school transport and maintaining school sport and PE should be important public health priorities in Australia. Current inequities in school sport and PE and in prevalence of overweight and obesity by area-level SES also need to be addressed.     

Girls' schooling and the perceived threat of adolescent sexual activity in rural Malawi

Despite its relative infrequency, pregnancy is perceived by parents in rural Malawi as a leading cause of school dropout among female students. This paper explores parents' beliefs about adolescent sexual activity and schoolgirl pregnancy and how these perceptions frame parents' aspirations and expectations about girls' schooling. In-depth interviews were collected in rural Malawi from 60 adults aged 25-50 who were the parent of at least one school-aged child. Four themes emerged from the data: how expectations about sexual activity frame parental expectations about schooling duration and dropout, the loss of parental control, the negative influence of classmates and schools as unsafe environments. These concerns frame how parents consider a daughter's schooling prospects and are active even for parents whose daughters are not sexually active or who are not yet old enough to have gone through puberty. Although all parents aspire for their children to attend secondary school, these perceptions of daughters' relative risk weaken parents' motivation to encourage daughters to remain in school.     

Commuting to school: are children who walk more physically active?

BACKGROUND: The journey to school is an opportunity for increasing children's daily physical activity. However, the contribution that active commuting to school makes to overall physical activity is unknown. This study used objective measurement to investigate the physical activity patterns of children by mode of travel to school. METHODS: Primary-school children wore an accelerometer programmed to record minute-by-minute physical activity for 7 days and completed a brief questionnaire describing their usual travel to school. The total volume of physical activity and the time spent in activity of at least moderate intensity, as recorded by the accelerometer, was estimated for weekdays and the weekend, and groups of children were compared by mode of transport to school. Data were collected in May/June 2002. RESULTS: Of the 114 children (59 boys, 55 girls; aged 10.4+/-0.8 years) who took part in the study, those who walked to school (65%) were significantly more active than those who traveled by car (712.0+/-206.7 vs 629.9+/-207.2 accelerometer counts per minute, p=0.05). Analysis by gender indicated that the major differences in physical activity between travel groups were seen only in boys. Hourly activity patterns demonstrated that boys who walked to school were more active after school and throughout the evening than were car users. CONCLUSIONS: In boys, walking to school was associated with higher physical activity after school and during the evening. Active transport may contribute to a more physically active profile, at least for boys, supporting walk-to-school initiatives to increase children's physical activity.     

Exposure of primary school children and their mothers to nitrogen dioxide in Sapporo City: comparisons of groups clustered by maternal daily behavior and habits

Exposure of primary school children and their mothers to NO2 was investigated in two schools in the city of Sapporo. One school was located in the city center and another in a suburb of the city. The school children and mothers were requested to put on NO2 filter badges for 24 hours and to record activity during that period. They were also requested to fill out ATS-DLD questionnaires. The surveys were repeated twice, in the summer of 1986 and in the winter 1987, due to possible seasonal variation. Average NO2 exposure levels of both school children and mothers were lower in the summer than the corresponding averages in the winter. The average of the children was lower than that of mothers in both summer and winter. Averages of the children of the city-center school were higher than those of children in the school in the suburb in both summer and winter. These differences were not observed in mothers' averages. To examine the relationship between NO2 exposure levels and maternal daily behavior and habits, the subjects were classified into three clusters by employment status, living area, smoking habits, type of heating appliance, and use of fans during cooking. While average NO2 exposure levels of children were similar among the three clusters, the average of the mothers of the third cluster was the highest among the clusters in either summer or winter. The third cluster was characterized by the highest rate of employment among the clusters, spending less time in their kitchens and not using fans regularly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Patterns of active transport in 11-12 year old Australian children

OBJECTIVES: To describe the habitual transport patterns of 11 to 12-year-old children in Australia, to determine the personal and environmental factors associated with active transport (AT), and to quantify how much AT contributes to overall daily energy expenditure (EE). METHODS: The participants in this study were 136 children aged 11-12 year olds from eight randomly chosen primary schools in Adelaide, South Australia. Each child recalled their trips on two school days and a non-school day. Mass and stature were measured, and children completed a computerised activity recall and a neighbourhood satisfaction questionnaire. Trips were categorised according to their destination, child and parent dissatisfaction with the neighbourhood, and the gender, socio-economic status (SES), BMI and activity levels of the children undertaking them. These categories, along with the distance to the destination, were used as independent variables in a logistic regression model, with trip mode (passive versus active) as the dependent variable. RESULTS: Children made an average of 1.0 active trips per day, with a median trip length of 0.63 km, while the median total distance covered actively per child per day was 0.61 km. Twenty-six per cent of children did no AT over the three days, and 67% did no AT on a weekend day. Distance was by far the strongest predictor of the likelihood that a trip would be active. Trips made by girls were less likely to be active compared with boys. Trips to the shops were less likely to be active than trips to school. Children's AT accounted for 1.3% of their daily EE. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The active transport levels of children were very low. Interventions should focus on making neighbourhoods safer and more accessible to children and should promote bicycle use.     

Urban–rural differences in parental Internet mediation and adolescents’ Internet risks in Taiwan

With the development of electronic technology and forms of communication such as the Internet, it has become increasing difficult for parents to identify and mitigate the new risks to which their adolescent children are exposed. In this article, we compare the ways parents and adolescents living in urban areas use the Internet with those of their counterparts who live in rural areas. We based this comparison on data obtained from a survey of Internet use in Taiwan in 2013. The survey included 1079 junior high school students and 688 parents who lived in urban areas and 838 students and 729 parents who lived in rural areas. We found that parents living in rural areas had lower levels of Internet skills and intervened less in their children’s use of the Internet when compared with parents living in urban areas. We also found that, compared with their urban counterparts, adolescents who live in rural areas have lower levels of Internet literacy but a higher frequency of Internet use and they also engage in riskier online behaviours such as online game playing, from which they more often report harmful effects such as the theft of passwords or money. Our multivariate analysis of the data showed that increased levels of adolescents’ online gaming time and lower levels of parental restrictive mediation were associated with higher levels of harm such as the theft of passwords and money stolen online. We also found that lower levels of adolescents’ Internet literacy and lower levels of parental monitoring activity were associated with increases in adolescents’ cyberbullying victimisation. Overall, we found a clear difference between rural and urban parents and adolescents with both rural parents and their children being less experienced and knowledgeable of the risks associated with use of the Internet. Rural children are exposed to more risk and experience more harm.     

上海市小学生家长健康素养现况

了解上海市小学生家长的健康素养水平,为促进小学生健康素养提升提供良好的家庭环境.方法 2015年9-10月期间,采用方便抽样法选取上海市中心城区4所小学、郊区2所小学共3 283名小学生,对其家长进行《中国公民健康素养调查问卷》调查.结果 在全部参与调查的家长中,具备健康素养的家长占21.6%.随着父母受教育程度的提高,具备健康素养的家长占比也逐渐提高(x2值分别为110.500,113.886,P值均<0.01).户籍为“上海市”和“外国国籍”的学生家长具备健康素养的比例相当(均为24.56%),均高于非上海市的中国户籍学生家长(16.69%) (x2=27.771,P<0.01).父、母职业为农业劳动者的健康素养具备率均低于其他职业(P值均<0.01).此外,家长对安全标志的辨识,正确率仅为0.27%;“蚊子、苍蝇、老鼠和蟑螂传播疾病的种类”正确率仅为7.58%;“您是否能做到不与他人共用毛巾”正确率仅为10.94%.结论 开展小学生健康素养促进工作要加强对低文化水平、非上海籍在上海就读中国学生家长的关注.     

An integrated curriculum approach to increasing habitual physical activity in children: a feasibility study

A relatively new concept is that of "integrating" physical activity throughout the school curriculum, thereby teaching children about lifestyle physical activity in a variety of contexts. One method by which this may be achieved is by utilizing pedometers as a motivational and educational tool for measuring accumulated physical activity. No research is available that shows in-depth integration of physical activity into the curriculum or that investigates the efficacy of pedometer use for this purpose. The purposes of this study were to (1) design and implement a 4-week elementary school curriculum unit, based around pedometer walking and (2) quantify, using pedometry, the physical activity levels of children (N = 78) prior to, and during, the unit implementation. Results showed that more than one half of the participants were achieving >15,000 steps daily, and children were significantly more active on weekdays than weekends (p = .0001). Boys were more active than girls at baseline (p = .01) and during intervention weekdays (p = .03). Differences between baseline and intervention weekdays were nonsignificant for the complete sample; however, significant increases in step counts were observed when the children with low activity levels, especially females, were examined separately. Overall, the integration of physical activity using pedometer-based activities is feasible. However, any increases in activity may be restricted to children who are least active.     

Rural–Urban Differences in Physical Activity, Physical Fitness, and Overweight Prevalence of Children

ABSTRACT:  Context: The increasing prevalence of overweight in youth has been well chronicled, but less is known about the unique patterns and risks that may exist in rural and urban environments. A better understanding of possible rural–urban differences in physical activity profiles may facilitate the development of more targeted physical activity interventions. Methods: Participants (1,687 boys; 1,729 girls) were recruited from fourth, fifth, and sixth grade classes in schools from urban areas, small cities, and rural areas. Multilevel modeling analysis was used to examine rural–urban differences in physical activity and prevalence of overweight. Physical activity was assessed by self-report and body mass index was calculated from measured height and weight. Findings: Prevalence of overweight was higher among rural children (25%; P < .001) than children from urban areas (19%) and small cities (17%). Urban children were the least active overall (Cohens' d =−0.4), particularly around lunchtime while at school (d =−0.9 to −1.1). Children from small cities reported the highest levels of physical activity. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest there are rural–urban differences in children's prevalence of overweight and physical activity even within a fairly homogenous Midwestern state.     

Patterns of physical activity in Spanish children: a descriptive pilot study

Background The majority of Spanish adults and children do not engage in enough physical activity to be beneficial for health. There is a need for objective and accurate assessment of the proportion of children meeting the physical activity recommendation for health. Assessing patterns of physical activity both between days (during weekdays and weekend days) and within days is of interest to improve our understanding of the variation in Spanish children's physical activity and to provide efficient intervention programmes. Methods A sample of 221 children: 136 9‐year‐old children (68 boys and 68 girls) and 85 15‐year‐old children (36 girls and 49 boys) from 12 urban public schools in Madrid, Spain entered the study. The variables measured were anthropometric characteristics (height, weight, body mass index) and physical activity measured during four consecutive days using the GT1M accelerometer. Results Younger children were more active and less sedentary than older ones during week and weekend days. Nine‐year‐old boys and girls achieved significantly (P < 0.05) more moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and significantly (P < 0.01) less sedentary time than older 15‐year‐old children. During weekdays more children achieved physical activity recommendations versus weekend days. Physical activity patterns analyses indicated that boys achieved relatively high values of MVPA from 1100 till 1300 h (school break) and from 1800 till 2000 h in comparison with the rest of the day. Girls were substantially different, with the 9‐year‐old girls having only two obvious peaks of weekday MVPA at lunch (1300) and after school (1900 h) while the adolescent girls had no clear peak of MVPA. Conclusions Few children achieved the level of MVPA recommended for health; at particular risk were adolescent girls. More effort needs to be devoted to promoting appropriate opportunities for Spanish girls across the day and to promoting physical activity during weekends for all children.     

‘It's very hard to find what to put in the kid's lunch’: What Perth parents think about food for school lunch boxes

Aim: To describe the factors affecting school food selection by parents of young children attending low socioeconomic schools in Perth and recommend the features of resources parents need to make healthier choices. Methods: Nine focus groups of parents of young children attending low socioeconomic status schools in Perth were conducted where parents were asked about the food their children ate at school and their opinions of school food resources. Results: Focus group discussion centred on the themes of the challenge of being a good parent by providing healthy lunch box food; making compromises in what their children eat at school and the barriers to healthy eating in the school environment. Parents were concerned about what their children were eating at school but the barriers of convenience, child preference, cost and food safety prevented them from including healthier food in the lunch box. The amount of time allowed for eating and lack of refrigeration were school‐based barriers that impacted on the type and amount of food selected. Parents liked colourful, practical school food resources with recipes and nutrition information aimed at children. Conclusions: Parents want help with selecting lunch box food/drinks that are nutritious, convenient, inexpensive and appealing for children to eat. Schools need to be supported to introduce healthy eating programs and should review the time given for young children to eat at school. Dietitians need to consider the home food environment and what motivates parents to make food choices for their children.     

Level of health knowledge in children completing elementary education

The results are presented of an inquiry study carried out in children in the 8th classes of elementary schools and considerable differences were found in the levels of practical health knowledge related to sex, urban and rural environment. Differences were found also related to the educational level of the parents. A correlation was demonstrated between the health knowledge level and the progress made in school, behaviour in school, and declared level of the child's adaptation to school and domestic environment. The equivocal effect of health knowledge level on the declared health behaviour is discussed.     

北京市房山区中小学生视屏时间与超重肥胖的关系

了解1周、上学日、周六周日视屏时间与儿童青少年超重肥胖的关系,为改善中小学生超重肥胖现状提供参考.方法 对北京市房山区中小学校按照分层整群抽样的方式分别抽取城市中学、城市小学、乡村中学、乡村小学各4所学校,对抽中学校的学生共2 670名进行身高、体重等体格测量并连续记录1周运动行为日记.分析不同时段视屏时间与中小学生超重肥胖的关系.结果 北京市中小学生超重肥胖率为32.28%,上学日视屏时间超过3h的学生仅占2.13%,但周六周日视屏时间超过3h的学生升至16.10%.在控制混杂因素后,1周日均视屏时间>2~3 h组与>3 h组的学生发生超重肥胖的风险分别是≤2 h组的1.388和1.590倍,上学日日均视屏时间>2~3 h组与>3 h组的学生发生超重肥胖的风险分别是≤2 h组的1.553和1.775倍.未发现周六周日不同视屏时间组学生超重肥胖风险不同.结论 1周日均与上学日日均视屏时间>2h是儿童青少年超重肥胖的危险因素.应关注学生在上学日和周六周日的视屏时间.     

Dentine lead and child intelligence in Taiwan.

It is well known that lead is a developmental neurotoxin, but, because many factors influence a child's development, a safe level of lead for children is still not clear. In this study, personal lead exposure was assessed. A total of 940 deciduous teeth--mostly incisors--was collected from 764 children in grades 1-3 who attended 7 primary schools. Two of the primary schools were near smelters, 4 were in Taipei City, and 1 was located in a coastal village. Teachers were provided with a questionnaire about classroom performance, and 97% completed and returned the questionnaire to the laboratory. Parents were given a questionnaire about family background, pregnancy, and health history (92% returned). Dentine lead levels of shed incisors for children in Taipei City were higher than levels reported in Boston, i.e., mean (standard deviation) of 4.4 (3.5) versus 3.3 (2.5) micrograms/g, respectively (p less than .001). The lead values were significantly higher in children who attended school near a smelter than in children who attended school in Taipei City: 6.3 (3.3) (p less than .001). The mean lead levels in children who attended school in a coastal village was 5.1 (2.8). The ranges for all schools overlapped, which indicated that there were multiple lead sources. Intelligence scores from Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices Test were negatively correlated with lead levels, especially among girls and among children whose parents had less education. We adjusted for other risk factors--most notably parental education, which correlates inversely with lead levels--and found that the role of the lead term was lowered but not eliminated.