Top

Published in:

01-11-2018 | Original Article

Are adolescents really being sedentary or inactive when at school? An analysis of sedentary behaviour and physical activity bouts

Authors: Bruno Gonçalves Galdino da Costa, Kelly Samara da Silva, Luís Eduardo Argenta Malheiros, Giseli Minatto, Luiz Rodrigo Augustemak de Lima, Edio Luiz Petroski

Published in: European Journal of Pediatrics | Issue 11/2018

Abstract

This study analysed physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) performed in bouts during schooltime. Adolescents of two schools answered a questionnaire, had their height and weight measured and wore accelerometers during schooltime. Moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA was estimated in bouts of 2, 5 and 10 min, and SB in bouts of 5, 10, 30 and 60 min. Body mass index was calculated, and adolescents were classified as overweight or normal weight. Frequency, duration and volume of PA and SB were calculated for the whole sample and for those who performed at least one bout weekly. PA and SB differences between gender and weight status were tested using Mann-Whitney and t tests. A total of 415 adolescents (54% girls, 12.3 ± 1.3 years old, 34.6% overweight) performed 0.1 (± 0.2), 0.2 (± 0.5) and 0.4 (± 0.6) bouts of 10, 5 and 2 min of PA, and 10.6 (± 2.0), 6.0 (± 1.3), 1.1 (± 0.9) and 0.4 (± 0.5) bouts/day of 5, 10, 30 and 60 min of SB, respectively. Boys accumulated less SB and more PA in bouts. No differences were found for weight status.

Conclusion: Adolescents hardly engaged in bouted PA and accumulated more SB in smaller bouts during schooltime. Bouted PA and SB were not associated with weight status.

What is Known: • Adolescents are not engaging in enough PA and are accumulating large volumes of SB, which might negatively impact their health. • Schools play an important role in daily overall PA, with opportunities such as PE classes and recesses. But most classes are still undertaken in seated positions.
What is New: • Adolescents hardly engage in bouted (> 10 m) PA when at school., and most SB is accumulated in short bouts (≤ 10m). • Weight status was not associated with bouted PA or SB at school

Andersen LB, Harro M, Sardinha LB, Froberg K, Ekelund U, Brage S, Anderssen SA (2006) Physical activity and clustered cardiovascular risk in children: a cross-sectional study (The European Youth Heart Study). Lancet 368:299–304. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69075-2 CrossRefPubMed

Ascenso A, Palmeira A, Pedro LM, Martins S, Fonseca H (2016) Physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness, but not sedentary behavior, are associated with carotid intima-media thickness in obese adolescents. Eur J Pediatr 175:391–398. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-015-2654-x CrossRefPubMed

Bailey DP, Fairclough SJ, Savory LA, Denton SJ, Pang D, Deane CS, Kerr CJ (2012) Accelerometry-assessed sedentary behaviour and physical activity levels during the segmented school day in 10-14-year-old children: the HAPPY study. Eur J Pediatr 171:1805–1813. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-012-1827-0 CrossRefPubMed

Bauman AE, Reis RS, Sallis JF, Wells JC, Loos RJF, Martin BW (2012) Correlates of physical activity: why are some people physically active and others not? Lancet 380:258–271. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(12)60735-1 CrossRefPubMed

Carson V, Hunter S, Kuzik N, Gray CE, Poitras VJ, Chaput JP, Saunders TJ, Katzmarzyk PT, Okely AD, Connor Gorber S, Kho ME, Sampson M, Lee H, Tremblay MS (2016) Systematic review of sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth: an update. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 41:S240–S265. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2015-0630 CrossRefPubMed

da Costa BGG, da Silva KS, da Silva JA et al (2017) Sociodemographic, biological, and psychosocial correlates of light-and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity during school time, recesses, and physical education classes. J Sport Health Sci. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2017.05.002

de Onis M, Onyango AW, Borghi E, Siyam A, Nishida C, Siekmann J (2007) Development of a WHO growth reference for school-aged children and adolescents. Bull World Health Organ 85:660–667CrossRef

Dorsey KB, Herrin J, Krumholz HM (2011) Patterns of moderate and vigorous physical activity in obese and overweight compared with non-overweight children. Int J Pediatr Obes 6:6–e555. https://doi.org/10.3109/17477166.2010.490586 CrossRef

Evenson KR, Catellier DJ, Gill K, Ondrak KS, McMurray RG (2008) Calibration of two objective measures of physical activity for children. J Sports Sci 26:1557–1565. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410802334196 CrossRefPubMed

10.

Goldfield GS, Murray M, Maras D, Wilson AL, Phillips P, Kenny GP, Hadjiyannakis S, Alberga A, Cameron JD, Tulluch H, Sigal RJ (2016) Screen time is associated with depressive symptomatology among obese adolescents: a HEARTY study. Eur J Pediatr 175:909–919. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-016-2720-z CrossRefPubMed

11.

Guinhouya BC, Lemdani M, Vilhelm C et al (2009) How school time physical activity is the “big one” for daily activity among schoolchildren: a semi-experimental approach. J Phys Act Health 6:510–519CrossRef

12.

Hollis JL, Williams AJ, Sutherland R, Campbell E, Nathan N, Wolfenden L, Morgan PJ, Lubans DR, Wiggers J (2016) A systematic review and meta-analysis of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity levels in elementary school physical education lessons. Prev Med 86:34–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.11.018 CrossRefPubMed

13.

Holman RM, Carson V, Janssen I (2011) Does the fractionalization of daily physical activity (sporadic vs. bouts) impact cardiometabolic risk factors in children and youth? PLoS One 6:e25733. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0025733 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

14.

Janssen X, Mann KD, Basterfield L, Parkinson KN, Pearce MS, Reilly JK, Adamson AJ, Reilly JJ (2016) Development of sedentary behavior across childhood and adolescence: longitudinal analysis of the Gateshead Millennium Study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 13(88):88. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-016-0413-7 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

15.

Júdice PB, Silva AM, Berria J, Petroski EL, Ekelund U, Sardinha LB (2017) Sedentary patterns, physical activity and health-related physical fitness in youth: a cross-sectional study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 14:25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-017-0481-3 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

16.

McKenzie TL, Lounsbery MA (2014) The pill not taken: revisiting physical education teacher effectiveness in a public health context. Res Q Exerc Sport 85:287–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2014.931203 CrossRefPubMed

17.

Nettlefold L, McKay HA, Warburton DE et al (2011) The challenge of low physical activity during the school day: at recess, lunch and in physical education. Br J Sports Med 45:813–819. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2009.068072 CrossRefPubMed

18.

Ridgers ND, Stratton G, Fairclough SJ, Twisk JWR (2007) Children’s physical activity levels during school recess: a quasi-experimental intervention study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 4:19–19. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-4-19 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

19.

Ridgers ND, Salmon J, Timperio A (2015) Too hot to move? Objectively assessed seasonal changes in Australian children’s physical activity. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 12:77. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-015-0245-x CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

20.

Sanders T, Cliff DP, Lonsdale C (2014) Measuring adolescent boys’ physical activity: bout length and the influence of accelerometer epoch length. PLoS One 9:e92040. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0092040 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

21.

Tremblay MS, Colley RC, Saunders TJ, Healy GN, Owen N (2010) Physiological and health implications of a sedentary lifestyle. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 35:725–740. https://doi.org/10.1139/h10-079 CrossRefPubMed

22.

Tremblay MS, LeBlanc AG, Kho ME et al (2011) Systematic review of sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 8:98–98. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-8-98 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

23.

van Stralen MM, Yildirim M, Wulp A et al (2014) Measured sedentary time and physical activity during the school day of European 10- to 12-year-old children: the ENERGY project. J Sci Med Sport 17:201–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2013.04.019 CrossRefPubMed

24.

Willis EA, Ptomey LT, Szabo-Reed AN, Honas JJ, Lee J, Washburn RA, Donnelly JE (2015) Length of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity bouts and cardio-metabolic risk factors in elementary school children. Prev Med 73:76–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.01.022 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

25.

World Health Organization (2010) Global recommendations on physical activity and health. WHO, Geneva

Title: Are adolescents really being sedentary or inactive when at school? An analysis of sedentary behaviour and physical activity bouts
Authors: Bruno Gonçalves Galdino da Costa
Kelly Samara da Silva
Luís Eduardo Argenta Malheiros
Giseli Minatto
Luiz Rodrigo Augustemak de Lima
Edio Luiz Petroski
Publication date: 01-11-2018
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: European Journal of Pediatrics / Issue 11/2018
Print ISSN: 0340-6199
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1076
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-018-3233-8

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Are adolescents really being sedentary or inactive when at school? An analysis of sedentary behaviour and physical activity bouts

Abstract

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 11/2018

A simple prognostic index for Shigatoxin-related hemolytic uremic syndrome at onset: data from the ItalKid-HUS network

Cognitive function in children with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Children’s complex care needs: a systematic concept analysis of multidisciplinary language

The associations between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and red blood cell indices reported from the KiGGS study are, except for mean corpuscular hemoglobin, not mediated by health-related quality of life

Relationship of resuscitation, respiratory function monitoring data and outcomes in preterm infants

Evolution of body mass index in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus