Change in objectively measured physical activity during the transition to adolescence

Abstract

BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) declines during adolescence but change in different PA intensities across population subgroups is rarely explored. We describe change in sedentary (SED) time, light (LPA), moderate (MPA) and vigorous PA (VPA) assessed at three time points over 4 years.MethodsAccelerometer-assessed PA (min) was obtained at baseline (N=2064), 1 and 4 years later among British children (baseline mean±SD 10.2±0.3-year-old; 42.5% male). Change in SED (<100 counts/min (cpm)), LPA (101–1999 cpm), MPA (2000–3999 cpm) and VPA (≥4000 cpm) was studied using three-level (age, individual and school) mixed-effects linear regression including participants with data at ≥2 time points (N=990). Differences in change by sex, home location and weight status were explored with interactions for SED, LPA and moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA).ResultsSED increased by 10.6 (95% CI 9.1 to 12.2) min/day/year. MPA and VPA decreased by 1.4 (1.0 to 1.8) and 1.5 (1.1 to 1.8) min/day/year, respectively. VPA decreased more than MPA as a percentage of the baseline value. MVPA declined more steeply among boys (3.9 (3.0 to 4.8)) versus girls (2.0 (1.2 to 2.7) min/day/year) despite lower MVPA among girls at all ages; rural (4.4 (3.5 to 5.2)) versus urban individuals (1.3 (0.4 to 2.3) min/day/year) and on weekends (6.7 (5.2 to 8.1)) versus weekdays (2.8 (1.9 to 3.7) min/day/year). MVPA was consistently lower among overweight/obese individuals (−17.5 (−3.9 to −2.5) min/day/year).ConclusionsPA decreases and is replaced by SED during early adolescence in British youth. Results indicate the urgency of PA promotion among all adolescents but especially girls and in rural areas. Increasing VPA and targeting PA promotion during weekends appear important.

Long-Term Athletic Development, Part 2

“…It can be observed from longitudinal data that fitness levels of youth in general have deteriorated over the past [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] years ( 77,10 8,125). Recent evidence now indicates that a large proportion of children and adolescents routinely fail to accumulate recommended physical activity guidelines proposed by leading health authorities ( 36,42 ).…”

“…Considering the existing levels of inactive youth ( 36,4 2) and that childhood inactivity typically leads to sedentary lifestyle behaviors in adolescence and early adulthood (20,100,121,123), it is imperative that youth engage regularly in strengthbuilding and skill-enhancing activities at an early age. Researchers have pre-viously stated that because of the neural plasticity associated with preadolescence, early engagement in integrative neuro-muscular training (INT) (which comprises of both health-and skill-related components of fitness) is instrumental in developing longlasting fundamental movement competency and enhanced physical, psychological, and social develop-ment ( 8 4).…”

Decline in Physical Activity Among Iranian Girl Students Aged 10 to 16 and the Related Factors

“…Despite the importance of RPA, insufficient physical activity among adolescents is documented as a key public health concern all around the world (1,2). Approximately 3.2 million deaths annually can be attributed to insufficient RPA (3).…”

Changes in Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity Among Older Adolescents

“…1,2 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) per day for maintenance of general health. 3 The literature suggests that a large number of youth fail to meet the physical activity guidelines and engage in less physical activity as they transition through adolescence to early adulthood.…”