scholarly journals Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents at Altitudes over 3500 Meters: A Cross-Sectional Study in Tibet

Author(s):  
Ming-jian Nie ◽  
Chao-qun Fan ◽  
Rui-zhe Sun ◽  
Jing-jing Wang ◽  
Qiang Feng ◽  
...  

There is a scarcity of studies on the physical activity (PA) of children and adolescents who live at high altitudes. This study aimed to objectively assess PA of children and adolescents living in the Tibet at altitudes over 3500 m and to examine its difference by ethnicity, gender, age/grade, and body weight status groups. A sample of 397 students aged 9–18 years were recruited from 7 schools in Lhasa, Tibet. PA was measured using accelerometers (ActiGraph GT3X) for seven consecutive days and moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) was identified using the Evenson (2008) cut-points. Participant MVPA was 62.3 min/day, with 65.5 min/day during weekdays and 54.1 min/day on weekends. Indigenous Tibetans were more active than Hans, and boys had more MVPA than girls. Age had a significantly weak negative correlation with MVPA. There was no significant difference in MVPA between the non-overweight and overweight/obese groups. Overall, only 9.1% (13.8% in boys and 4.5% in girls) accumulated at least 60 min of MVPA per day. Compared to their counterparts in other regions, the daily MVPA of children and adolescents living on the Tibetan Plateau at altitudes over 3500 m was relatively high. However, the proportion of meeting the WHO’s PA recommendations was extremely low.

2021 ◽  
pp. 003151252110284
Author(s):  
João Paulo de Aguiar Greca ◽  
Thomas Korff ◽  
Jennifer Ryan

Our aim in this study was to investigate the relationships between physical activity (PA), pain, and injury among children. Secondarily, we examined whether these relationships differed between children with normal versus excessive weight or obesity. This was a cross-sectional study of 102 children (57 girls) aged 8–12 years old. We assessed the prevalence of moderate and vigorous PA using accelerometry over a seven-day period. We examined the associations between moderate PA, vigorous PA, pain presence, and injury presence using generalized estimating equations with a logit link and binomial distribution. We adjusted the obtained models for potential confounders and explored the moderating effect of weight status. We found no association between moderate PA and pain, but time spent in vigorous PA was associated with pain. Neither moderate or vigorous PA were associated with injury, and there was no moderating effect of weight status in these relationships. In summary, we found that objectively measured vigorous PA is associated with pain among 8–12 year old children. While these results should be replicated in longitudinal studies, they suggest that an association between vigorous PA and pain should be considered when developing PA interventions for children.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurien M Disseldorp ◽  
Leonora J Mouton ◽  
Tim Takken ◽  
Marco Van Brussel ◽  
Gerard IJM Beerthuizen ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reema M Al Jalal ◽  
Alaa I. Ibrahim ◽  
Turki S. Abualait

Abstract Background Child development has critical links to his ability to see and hear. When these senses are impaired, everything is impacted. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of visual and hearing impairments on physical activity and sleep quality in a comparison with the normal sighted-hearing children. Methods This cross-sectional study included 60 Saudi children (20 blind, 20 sensorineural deaf, and 20 sighted-hearing) aged 10 to 15 years old. The physical activity levels and sleep quality were assessed using a waist-mounted ActiGraph accelerometer. Results Children with sensorineural deafness were significantly more active (in step rate and activity rate) than the sighted-hearing group (p = 0.05 and 0.003, respectively). Sighted-hearing children and children with blindness had significantly more sedentary time than children with sensorineural deafness (p = 0.004 and 0.03, respectively). Sleep efficiency was significantly higher in children with sensorineural deafness than sighted-hearing children (p = 0.02). No significant difference was recorded in any of the sleep parameters when children with blindness were compared to the sighted-hearing or children with sensorineural deafness (p > 0.05). Conclusions The ActiGraph results revealed that children with sensorineural deafness were significantly more active and with higher sleep efficiency than sighted-hearing children. Children with blindness spent more time in sedentary activities and less time in moderate activities than children with sensorineural deafness. There was no significant difference in sleep efficiency when comparing sensorineural deaf and blind children.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Qiu ◽  
Min Hou

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is a serious health issue among children and adolescents worldwide. This study aimed to investigate factors influencing weight status-associated food preferences and eating behaviors. A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data from 2578 pairs of Chinese children and parents in five cities from December 2018 to March 2019. There was an increase in consumptions of processed seafood, nuts and dried fruit/vegetables, and fruit/vegetable juice, but a reduction of consuming puffed and processed meat products, sugar/artificially sweetened beverages and milk tea, and picky eating. These food preferences differentiate between sexes. Picky eating behavior was greatly presented in children of lower educated mothers or heavy-smoking fathers. Children of the lower educated fathers consumed less processed seafood and dairy products, and those of the heavy-smoking fathers consumed more puffed products, but less fruit/vegetable juice, and had greater snack preference. The father’s body mass index(BMI)status was also positively associated with unhealthy behaviors. Those who exercised daily longer showed better eating behaviors, and picky eating and fast-food lovers likely occurred in higher-income families. Our study provides an insight into that fathers being educated for health-conscious advice and physical activity may be the potential strategies to foster their children’s healthy eating patterns. Their efficacy needs to be further investigated.


Author(s):  
Erik Sigmund ◽  
Dagmar Sigmundová

Background: The study reveals the relationships between daily physical activity (PA) and the prevalence of obesity in family members separated according to the participation of their offspring in organized leisure-time physical activity (OLTPA), and answers the question of whether the participation of children in OLTPA is associated with a lower prevalence of obesity in offspring with respect to parental PA and body weight level. Methods: The cross-sectional study included 1493 parent-child dyads (915/578 mother/father-child aged 4–16 years) from Czechia selected by two-stage stratified random sampling with complete data on body weight status and weekly PA gathered over a regular school week between 2013 and 2019. Results: The children who participated in OLTPA ≥ three times a week had a significantly lower (p < 0.005) prevalence of obesity than the children without participation in OLTPA (5.0% vs. 11.1%). Even in the case of overweight/obese mothers/fathers, the children with OLTPA ≥ three times a week had a significantly lower (p < 0.002) prevalence of obesity than the children without OLTPA (6.7%/4.2% vs. 14.9%/10.7%). Conclusions: The cumulative effect of regular participation in OLTPA and a child’s own PA is a stronger alleviator of children’s obesity than their parents’ risk of overweight/obesity.


2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 2005-2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Craig ◽  
John Reilly ◽  
Ruth Bland

AbstractObjectiveA variety of methods are available for defining undernutrition (thinness/underweight/under-fat) and overnutrition (overweight/obesity/over-fat). The extent to which these definitions agree is unclear. The present cross-sectional study aimed to assess agreement between widely used methods of assessing nutritional status in children and adolescents, and to examine the benefit of body composition estimates.DesignThe main objective of the cross-sectional study was to assess underweight, overweight and obesity using four methods: (i) BMI-for-age using WHO (2007) reference data; (ii) BMI-for-age using Cole et al. and International Obesity Taskforce cut-offs; (iii) weight-for-age using the National Centre for Health Statistics/WHO growth reference 1977; and (iv) body fat percentage estimated by bio-impedance (body fat reference curves for children of McCarthy et al., 2006). Comparisons were made between methods using weighted kappa analyses.SettingRural South Africa.SubjectsIndividuals (n 1519) in three age groups (school grade 1, mean age 7 years; grade 5, mean age 11 years; grade 9, mean age 15 years).ResultsIn boys, prevalence of unhealthy weight status (both under- and overnutrition) was much higher at all ages with body fatness measures than with simple anthropometric proxies for body fatness; agreement between fatness and weight-based measures was fair or slight using Landis and Koch categories. In girls, prevalence of unhealthy weight status was also higher with body fatness than with proxies, although agreement between measures ranged from fair to substantial.ConclusionsMethods for defining under- and overnutrition should not be considered equivalent. Weight-based measures provide highly conservative estimates of unhealthy weight status, possibly more conservative in boys. Simple body composition measures may be more informative than anthropometry for nutritional surveillance of children and adolescents.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nevena Ćorić ◽  
Anita Jurić ◽  
Andrea Karlovic

Abstract Background: Pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus brought tremendous changes in the lifestyle of adolescents, about which numerous studies have been published. Due to extended restrictions, long term impact should be investigated.Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 953 voluntary participants aged 14 to 21, from different regions of B&H. Participants were asked to complete an online 37-item survey, regarding socio-demographics, geographic, social characteristics, dietary and lifestyle habits, physical activity, including their consumption of dietary, vitamin and mineral supplements. They also needed to provide information about their weight, height and weight change during the entire period of the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 until the end of November when the study was completed. For data entry and analysis, SPSS (version 25) and Microsoft Excel were used.Results: At the time of completing the survey, a slightly lower BMI of participants was noticed compared to the time before the pandemic. A statistically significant difference was determined between males and females BMI, boys BMI was slightly higher. Females gained and men lost BW. Increased intake of unhealthy types of food was associated with weight change. Increased mental stress during the pandemic was associated with dietary changes, respectively with decreased as also increased food amount. High percent of participants (40.4%) who increased their physical activity did not alter their eating in the form of the food amount. This study reported use of some dietary supplements which have not been used before the pandemic by 63.5% participants.Conclusions: This paper presents a unique insight into the changing lifestyle and eating habits of adolescents in B&H during lockdown and post-lockdown period of research. Considering that pandemic is still ongoing, data from study like this may be useful to create further steps in battling the pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (65) ◽  
pp. 204-220
Author(s):  
Noelia González-Gálvez ◽  
◽  
Jose Carlos Ribeiro ◽  
Jorge Mota ◽  

The aims of this study were a) to assess whether obesity acts as a mediator between i) cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and mean blood pressure; and ii) between between physical activity (PA) and mean blodd pressure in children and adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a 632 children and adolescents. It was measured mean blood pressure, body mass index, fat mass and waist circumference. CRF and PA was assessing with Course Navette test and ActiGraph. The analysis of the mediation was performed using Process macro for SPSS. The results indicate that obesity acts as a partial mediation in the association between CRF and mean blood pressure in 10-12 years old children (z=from -5.81 to -5.40; all p˂0.000). These results indicate that obesity acts as a complete mediator in the association between PA and mean blood pressure in 10-12 years old children (z=from -4.49 to -1.94; all p˂0.000). Our result reinforces the relevance of prevent weight increse and improve cardiorespiratory fitness level since erly age in children and adolescents to prevent high mean blood pressure. Increasing the level of physical activity can influence on obesity and cardiorespiratory fitness.


Author(s):  
Nandish Kumar S. ◽  
Jyothi Jadhav ◽  
Ranganath T. S. ◽  
Vishwanatha .

Background: In India, more than two thirds of adolescents aged 11-17 years have insufficient physical activity. Though data on prevalence of physical activity among adolescents with reference to WHO criteria are available, very few studies have assessed the magnitude of physical activity. Hence, the study was conducted to assess the magnitude of physical activity among rural high school children of Nelamangala Taluk, Bengaluru.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 200 high school students from 6 co-education schools. Magnitude of physical activity was assessed using physical activity questionnaire for adolescents (PAQ-A), a self-reported, validated questionnaire.Results: Mean age of the study participants was 14.35 years. 112 (56%) of them were female and 123 (61.5%) of them were studying in 10th standard. 100 (50%) of them were from government or aided school. Final Physical activity score of study participants was 2.39±0.64. There was a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) in the final physical activity score between males and females. Government or aided school participants had a better final score than those of private school and the difference was statistically significant. Final physical activity score decreased with their promotion to higher class. There was no significant difference between activity levels during physical education class across variables like sex, class studying and type of school.Conclusions: Physical activity was better among males, government school participants and those studying in lower class in comparison to their counterparts. Majority of this difference can be attributed to activities happening beyond the school hours. 


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