scholarly journals Exposome changes in primary school children following the wide population non-pharmacological interventions implemented due to COVID-19 in Cyprus: a national survey

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Konstantinou ◽  
X.D. Andrianou ◽  
A. Constantinou ◽  
A. Perikkou ◽  
E. Markidou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Pharmacological Intervention ◽  
Initial Population ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

SummaryBackgroundSchool closures were part of a series of non-pharmacological intervention (NPI) measures addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus. We aimed to study changes in the environment, diet, behavior, personal hygiene, contacts, lifestyle choices and the degree of compliance to NPI measures by primary school children in Cyprus at school and at home for two periods, i.e., before lockdown and during the school re-opening using the methodological context of the human exposome.MethodsDuring June 2020, an online survey questionnaire was forwarded to parents of primary school children through schools’ administrations, with questions about the children’s lifestyle/behaviours for two periods; school re-opening, following the population-wide lockdown (May 21-June 26, 2020), and the school period before lockdown (before March 2020). Descriptive statistics and exposome wide association analysis were implemented to agnostically assess associations of demographic, lifestyle and behavioral parameters with the degree of compliance to NPI measures.FindingsA total of 1509 children from more than 180 primary schools (out of 330 schools) in Cyprus were included. Median number of contacts per day at home, school and other places during weekdays was lower (p<0.001) in the post-lockdown period compared to the pre-lockdown period (5 vs 12, 10 vs 29 and 6 vs 14, respectively). Vulnerable contacts with children also decreased from 2[1, 3] in the pre-lockdown to 1[0, 2] in the post-lockdown period (p<0.001). Differences in sugary and ready-made food consumption, physical activity, screen time, digital communication and hand hygiene were noted between the two periods. More than 72% of children complied with the NPI measures, with the exception of the decrease in number of vulnerable contact(s) indicator (48%). Eating meat more frequently post-lockdown and doing less physical activity during school break post-lockdown were positively associated with increased time spent at home post-lockdown. Furthermore, the odds of compliance, as indicated by the time spent at home post-lockdown were lower with days elapsing from school re-opening, living in smaller town and using antiseptic more frequently pre-lockdown.InterpretationIn this national survey, children showed a high degree of compliance to most NPI measures for the community and primary school settings in Cyprus. The initial NPI measures may have affected the children’s exposome profile in the following months, by altering their diet, physical activity, sedentary lifestyle and hand hygiene habits.FundingThe study was partially funded by the EXPOSOGAS project, H2020 under grant agreement #810995Panel: Research in contextEvidence before this studyWe searched PubMed for studies published until September 30, 2020 using the search terms: COVID-19, children and lifestyle. Only six peer-reviewed, English-language studies were retrieved on the effect of COVID-19 measures on children’s lifestyle. The impact of non-pharmacological intervention (NPI) measures on children’s health during the pandemic period has been sporadically studied by focusing on a few risk factors at a time without using the exposome’s methodological framework, which is defined as the comprehensive characterization of all environmental exposures during one’s lifetime.Added value of this studyA survey targeted all primary schools of Cyprus to comprehensively study the impact of the initial population-wide NPI measures (lockdown) (March 13-May 4) on the children’s exposome during the school re-opening period (May 21 – June 26). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study looking at the post-confinement (lockdown) exposome profile changes of children during schools’ re-opening, after the initial population-wide NPI measures of COVID-19 response. The comprehensive and agnostic description of the children’s exposome profile may help to comprehensively account for both known and possibly unknown effects of NPI measures on children’s health and for delineating the children’s degree of compliance to infection prevention and control protocols at school and at home.Implications of all the available evidenceThis dataset could inform COVID-19 risk-based public health response strategies targeted for school settings. Future response strategies to epidemic waves shall consider elements of promoting a healthy lifestyle for children at school and at home. Public health policy could ultimately benefit from the inclusion of the human exposome methodological framework and its tools towards the improved identification of susceptible sub-population groups and to facilitate the deployment of site-tailored public health measures; this may be particularly relevant for children and their potential to spread the disease to vulnerable groups.

scholarly journals Validation of self-reported physical activity by accelerometry among primary school children in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: a pilot study

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 40
Author(s):  
Mary Vincent Mosha ◽  
Elizabeth Kasagama ◽  
Philip Ayieko ◽  
Jim Todd ◽  
Sia E. Msuya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Moderate Positive Correlation

Background: Self-reports are commonly used to assess physical activity in children.  Existing self-reports for physical activity have not been validated for use among primary school children in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. In order to understand if primary school children can accurately report their physical activity, we examined the validity of self-reported physical activity against accelerometer measured physical activity. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from May to July, 2018 among four primary schools in Moshi municipal and Moshi rural districts, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.  A total of 51 primary school children aged 9–11 years were enrolled using a simple random sampling technique. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect physical activity related variables. In addition, children wore accelerometers for seven consecutive days to capture physical activity movements. Spearman’s rank test and Bland Altman plots were used for assessing validity and agreement between self-reports and accelerometer moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Results: The mean age of the study participants was 10 (SD=0.8) years. Majority of the study participants were female 32 (63%). A moderate, positive correlation was found between self-reports and accelerometer MVPA (rho=0.36, p=0.009). Accelerometer had higher MVPA compared to self-reports. Children who reported walking to school had higher MVPA for both accelerometer and self- reports compared to children who use other means of transport to school, e.g. school buses (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study found the moderate positive correlation between self-reports and accelerometers. Self-reports are prone to errors due to recall bias, and this interferes their validity.  More research is needed to develop better self-reported measures with specific activities which can easily be recalled by children. Also, researchers have to be aware of self-reports validity limitation.

Bizzy Break! The Effect of a Classroom-Based Activity Break on In-School Physical Activity Levels of Primary School Children

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 300-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Murtagh ◽  
Maureen Mulvihill ◽  
Oonagh Markey
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Step Counts ◽  
Significant Difference

The school has been identified as a key setting to promote physical activity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a classroom-based activity break on in-school step counts of primary school children. Data for 90 children (49 boys, 41 girls, 9.3 ± 1.4 years) from three Irish primary schools is presented. In each school one class was randomly assigned as the intervention group and another as controls. Children’s step counts were measured for five consecutive days during school hours at baseline and follow-up. Teachers of the intervention classes led a 10 min activity break in the classroom each day (Bizzy Break!). Mean daily in-school steps for the intervention at baseline and follow-up were 5351 and 5054. Corresponding values for the control group were 5469 and 4246. There was a significant difference in the change in daily steps from baseline to follow-up between groups (p < .05). There was no evidence that girls and boys responded differently to the intervention (p > .05). Children participating in a daily 10 min classroom-based activity break undertake more physical activity during school hours than controls.

LEVEL OF MOTOR SKILLS IN YOUNGER PRIMARY-SCHOOL CHILDREN AND THEIR SELECTED CONDITIONS

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (76) ◽  
pp. 51-60
Author(s):  
Eligiusz Madejski ◽  
Grażyna Kosiba ◽  
Magdalena Majer
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Motor Skills ◽  
School Children ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Achievement ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Physical Culture ◽  
Achievement Testing ◽  
Study Results

Aim. To assess the motor skill level of younger primary school children (grade 1-3) and the relationship between the motor skills of the participants and their knowledge on physical culture and physical activity. Basic procedures. The study was conducted among randomly selected children enrolled in grades 1-3 of primary schools in Krakow. 334 students aged 7-8, 365 aged 8-9 and 317 aged 9-10 took part in the study. The basic method was a diagnostic survey, and the technique was a questionnaire and school achievement testing. The SPSS 21 (IBM Corp., 2012) programme was used for statistical analysis of the study results. Statistically significant correlations were assumed at p &amp;amp;lt; 0.01 and were marked by two asterisks. Results. The highest percentage of subjects regarding the level of motor skills was in the middle and high ranges. The analysis of the results also showed an average level of physical activity and knowledge about physical culture in the majority of participants. Research also showed a statistically significant positive correlation between motor skills and the level of physical activity of children and the level of knowledge about physical culture. Conclusions. Younger school-girls and school-boys are generally above average in terms of selected motor skills. The age of the examined children clearly differentiated their level of motor skills. There was a statistically significant correlation between the motor skills and physical activity of children in their free time and their knowledge on physical culture.

scholarly journals Association between overweight/obesity and eating habits while watching television among primary-school children in the city of Shiraz, Iran

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (03) ◽  
pp. 571-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeed Ghobadi ◽  
Julia O Totosy de Zepetnek ◽  
Zeinab Hemmatdar ◽  
Nick Bellissimo ◽  
Reza Barati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Viewing Time ◽  
Tv Viewing ◽  
Dietary Record ◽  
Watching Tv

AbstractObjectiveIt has been reported that television (TV) viewing is associated with childhood obesity in Western countries. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between obesity and eating habits while watching TV among primary-school children in the Middle East.DesignCross-sectional.SettingChildren were recruited from primary schools of four educational districts in Shiraz, Iran. Anthropometric indices of mass (kg) and height (m) were measured, and BMI (percentile) was calculated. Demographic characteristics, TV viewing behaviours and physical activity data were collected from parents during face-to-face interviews and a 3d dietary record was completed.SubjectChildren (n607) aged 6–10 years.ResultsMean (sd) age of children was 8·16 (1·37) years, of whom 9·1 and 8·4 % were overweight and obese, respectively. Children who spent ≥2 h watching TV on weekdays (OR=1·99; 95 % CI 1·09, 3·60) and weekend days (OR=1·86; 95 % CI 1·01, 3·43) had higher odds of being obese, even after adjusting for physical activity. Children who ate breakfast while watching TV had higher odds of being overweightv. those who did not watch TV while eating breakfast (OR=2·70; 95 % CI 1·02, 7·60). There were no associations between TV viewing during other meals (lunch and dinner) and overweight/obesity.ConclusionsTV viewing for ≥2 h daily increases the risk of being obese in Iranian children aged 6–10 years, independent of physical activity. Further, breakfast consumption while watching TV may increase the risk of overweight/obesity, independent of total TV viewing time.

scholarly journals Description and comparison of physical activity from self-reports and accelerometry among primary school children in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: a pilot study

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 40
Author(s):  
Mary Vincent Mosha ◽  
Elizabeth Kasagama ◽  
Philip Ayieko ◽  
Jim Todd ◽  
Sia E. Msuya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Significant Positive Correlation ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Self Reports

Background: Self-reports are commonly used to assess physical activity in children. Existing self-reports for physical activity have not been validated for primary school children in Tanzania. To understand if primary school children can accurately report their physical activity, we examined the validity of self-reported physical activity against accelerometer measured physical activity. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May to July 2018. We conveniently selected four primary schools in Moshi municipal and Moshi rural districts in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. From these districts, 51 children aged 9 – 11 years were randomly selected. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect physical activity-related variables. Children wore accelerometers for seven consecutive days to capture physical activity movements. Spearman’s rank test and Bland Altman plots were used for assessing validity and agreement between self-reports and accelerometer moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Results: The study participants' mean age was 10 (SD=0.8) years, and 32 (63%) were girls. A significant positive correlation was found between self-reports and accelerometer MVPA (rho=0.36, p=0.009). The mean total of weekday minutes in MVPA from accelerometers was higher than from self-reports, 408 (SD = 66) versus 261 (SD = 179). Conclusions: This study found a significant positive correlation between self-reports and accelerometers. Self-reports are prone to errors due to recall bias, which interferes with their validity. More research is needed to develop better self-reported measures with specific activities that children can easily remember. Also, researchers should carefully consider the inherent limitations in the validity of self-reports.

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 on physical activity behaviour in Italian primary school children: a comparison before and during pandemic considering gender differences

2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Dallolio ◽  
Sofia Marini ◽  
Alice Masini ◽  
Stefania Toselli ◽  
Rita Stagni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Activity Behaviour ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
World Health ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The World Health Organization stated an average of 60 min of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) that children should accumulate every day. Nevertheless physical inactivity is growing and, due to restrictions imposed during pandemic, PA levels of children might be more negatively affected. The study aimed to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on the PA of an Italian sample of primary school children by comparing it before and during COVID-19 considering gender differences. Methods A pre-post analysis (October 2019–January 2021) was conducted using a randomized sample (N = 77) from the I-MOVE study settled in an Italian primary school. Both objective (Actigraph accelerometers) and self-reported (PAQ-c questionnaires) assessments of PA were performed. Changes were compared using T-Student and Chi-Square test. Gender differences were calculated using Anova. Results Weekly and daily minutes time spent in MVPA significantly decreased respectively by − 30.59 ± 120.87 and − 15.32 ± 16.21 from before to during pandemic while the weekly time spent in sedentary behaviour increased (+ 1196.01 ± 381.49). PAQ-c scores followed the same negative trend (− 0.87 ± 0.72). Boys seem to have suffered more than girls from the imposed restrictions. Conclusion These findings outline the need for strategies to promote PA and reduce sedentary behaviours in children to prevent COVID-19 restriction long-term effects.

Passive smoking and respiratory symptoms in primary school children in Hong Kong

1999 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 218-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
T H Lam ◽  
A J Hedley ◽  
S F Chung ◽  
D J Macfarlane ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Passive Smoking ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Respiratory Symptoms ◽  
Smoking Habit ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Odds Ratios ◽  
At Home

1 We aimed to study whether passive smoking is associated with respiratory ill health in primary school children in Hong Kong. 2 In this cross-sectional study, a standardised structured questionnaire was used to obtain information on respiratory symptoms, smokers in the household and smoking habit of the children. A random sample of 30 primary schools was included. Four classes were randomly selected for each school, one class each from each school year of primary 3-6. A total of 3964 children aged 8-13 years completed the questionnaire during October 1995-May 1996. The response rate was over 94%. 3 In 3480 children who had never smoked, after adjusting for gender, age, place of birth and living district, the odds ratios (95% confidence interval) were: (a) throat problems, 1.35 (1.08-1.68); (b) cough, 1.54 (1.28-1.84); (c) phlegm, 1.43 (1.21-1.70); (d) wheezing, 1.21 (0.89-1.41); (e) nose problems, 1.17 (1.02-1.35). The odds ratios increased with increasing number of smokers at home (P for trend < 0.001; except for wheezing, P=0.3). The odds ratios for having any of the above symptoms for one, two and three smokers at home were respectively 1.15 (0.99-1.34), 1.48 (1.16-1.88) and 2.03 (1.47-2.81); P for trend < 0.001. 4 We conclude that the results provide further evidence that passive smoking is a cause of respiratory ill health in school children in Hong Kong.

scholarly journals Validation of self-reported physical activity by accelerometry in Tanzanian primary school children

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Vincent Mosha ◽  
Elizabeth Kasagama ◽  
Philip Ayieko ◽  
Jim Todd ◽  
Sia Msuya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Reference Method ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Self Reports

Abstract Background: Insufficient physical activity is a serious public health concern. Assessing physical activity accurately in children remains a challenge and valid tools for its assessment in African children are needed. This study compares self-reports versus accelerometry-captured physical activity.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 51 primary school children aged 9 – 11 years from four primary schools in Kilimanjaro region were enrolled. Children were asked to complete a self-reported questionnaire on physical activity and wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days. Accelerometry was used as a reference method to assess for child reporting accuracy.Results: Spearman correlation between self-reports and accelerometry was moderate (r=0.41, p=0.002). Children who reported walking to school had higher moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for both accelerometry and self- reports compared to their counterparts (p < 0.001). Intra-class correlation (ICC) showed that 32% of the variations in accelerometry weekly total MVPA was contributed by the differences in activities between children.Conclusions: Objective measures of physical activity such as accelerometers can be used to accurately measure physical activity in children where feasible. Self-reports have limited validity, and therefore more research is needed to develop better self-reported measures with specific activities which can easily be recalled by children.

scholarly journals Protocol for developing a core outcome set for evaluating school-based physical activity interventions in primary schools

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. e031868
Author(s):  
Kimberley A Foley ◽  
Tishya Venkatraman ◽  
Bina Ram ◽  
Louisa Ells ◽  
Esther van Sluijs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Core Outcome Set ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Core Outcome ◽  
Physical Activity Interventions ◽  
School Based ◽  
Outcome Set

IntroductionPrimary school-based physical activity interventions, such as The Daily Mile initiative, have the potential to increase children’s physical activity levels over time, which is associated with a variety of health benefits. Comparing interventions or combining results of several studies of a single intervention is challenging because previous studies have examined different outcomes or used different measures that are not feasible or relevant for researchers in school settings. The development and implementation of a core outcome set (COS) for primary school-based physical activity interventions would ensure outcomes important to those involved in implementing and evaluating interventions are standardised.Methods and analysisOur aim is to develop a COS for studies of school-based physical activity interventions. We will achieve this by undertaking a four-stage process:(1) identify a list of outcomes assessed in studies through a systematic review of international literature; (2) establish domains from these outcomes to produce questionnaire items; (3) prioritise outcomes through a two-stage Delphi survey with four key stakeholder groups (researchers, public health professionals, educators and parents), where stakeholders rate the importance of each outcome on a 9-point Likert scale (consensus that the outcomes should be included in the COS will be determined as 70% or more of all stakeholders scoring the outcome 7%–9% and 15% or less scoring 1 to 3); (4) achieve consensus on a final COS in face-to-face meetings with a sample of stakeholders and primary school children.Ethics and disseminationWe have received ethical approval from Imperial College London (ref: 19IC5428). The results of this study will be disseminated via conference presentations/public health meetings, peer-reviewed publications and through appropriate media channels.Trial registration numberCore Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials Initiative (COMET) number: 1322.

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