Physical activity patterns across time-segmented youth sport flag football practice

Abstract

BackgroundYouth sport (YS) reaches a large number of children world-wide and contributes substantially to children’s daily physical activity (PA), yet less than half of YS time has been shown to be spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Physical activity during practice is likely to vary depending on practice structure that changes across YS time, therefore the purpose of this study was 1) to describe the type and frequency of segments of time, defined by contextual characteristics of practice structure, during YS practices and 2) determine the influence of these segments on PA.MethodsResearch assistants video-recorded the full duration of 28 practices from 14 boys’ flag football teams (2 practices/team) while children concurrently (N = 111, aged 5–11 years, mean 7.9 ± 1.2 years) wore ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers to measure PA. Observers divided videos of each practice into continuous context time segments (N = 204; mean-segments-per-practice = 7.3, SD = 2.5) using start/stop points defined by change in context characteristics, and assigned a value for task (e.g., management, gameplay, etc.), member arrangement (e.g., small group, whole group, etc.), and setting demand (i.e., fosters participation, fosters exclusion). Segments were then paired with accelerometer data. Data were analyzed using a multilevel model with segment as unit of analysis.ResultsWhole practices averaged 34 ± 2.4% of time spent in MVPA. Free-play (51.5 ± 5.5%), gameplay (53.6 ± 3.7%), and warm-up (53.9 ± 3.6%) segments had greater percentage of time (%time) in MVPA compared to fitness (36.8 ± 4.4%) segments (p ≤ .01). Greater %time was spent in MVPA during free-play segments compared to scrimmage (30.2 ± 4.6%), strategy (30.6 ± 3.2%), and sport-skill (31.6 ± 3.1%) segments (p ≤ .01), and in segments that fostered participation (36.1 ± 2.7%) than segments that fostered exclusion (29.1 ± 3.0%; p ≤ .01). Significantly greater %time was spent in low-energy stationary behavior in fitness (15.7 ± 3.4%) than gameplay (4.0 ± 2.9%) segments (p ≤ .01), and in sport-skill (17.6 ± 2.2%) than free-play (8.2 ± 4.2%), gameplay, and warm-up (10.6 ± 2.6%) segments (p < .05).ConclusionsThe %time spent in low-energy stationary behavior and in MVPA differed by characteristics of task and setting demand of the segment. Restructuring the routine of YS practice to include segments conducive to MVPA could increase %time spent in MVPA during practice. As YS reaches a large number of children worldwide, increasing PA during YS has the potential to create a public health impact.

Sports Contribute to Total Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity in School Children

“…Moreover, only a few studies investigating PA intensities reported proportions across the entire PA intensity continuum (including SB and LPA) (12,13,18,35). Most studies investigating MVPA during OYS reported between 22% and 46% MVPA (12,13,18,20,22). For example, Leek and colleagues (12) observed 46% MVPA during OYS in children 7–14 yr old ( n = 200) (12).…”

“…Recent studies investigating the proportion of different PA intensities such as SB, LPA, and MVPA during sports activities in children and adolescents have reported large discrepancies of MVPA ranging from 10% to 74% (12–15,17–20). Two reviews are available from Fairclough and Stratton (17) as well as Hollis and colleagues (19) showing that the proportion of MVPA during PE classes in young schoolchildren (<12 yr) ranges between 37% and 45%.…”

Organized Sports and Physical Activities as Sole Influencers of Fitness: The Homeschool Population

“…Participation in organized sport alone may be insufficient for children in order for them to meet daily physical activity guidelines for several reasons, including not participating in MVPA outside of sport practices, not practicing frequently, or practices being low in MVPA [ 26 ]. Recent analyses of youth sport practices revealed that children engaged in MVPA 34–50% of their time spent in practice [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], which is approximately 20–30 min (one-third to one-half) of MVPA toward daily public health guidelines [ 26 , 27 ]. When exploring varied practice structures and time segments in youth flag football, Schleter and colleagues [ 27 ] found that free-play, game-play, and warmup segments resulted in greater percentages of time spent in MVPA than scrimmage, strategy, and sport-skill segments of practice.…”

“…Recent analyses of youth sport practices revealed that children engaged in MVPA 34–50% of their time spent in practice [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], which is approximately 20–30 min (one-third to one-half) of MVPA toward daily public health guidelines [ 26 , 27 ]. When exploring varied practice structures and time segments in youth flag football, Schleter and colleagues [ 27 ] found that free-play, game-play, and warmup segments resulted in greater percentages of time spent in MVPA than scrimmage, strategy, and sport-skill segments of practice. A number of contextual variables may contribute to low amounts of MVPA during a practice session, such as those related to tasks (e.g., time devoted to organizational tasks, strategy, or self-care), and setting (e.g., fewer opportunities to participate in relation to children available to participate) [ 27 ].…”

“…When exploring varied practice structures and time segments in youth flag football, Schleter and colleagues [ 27 ] found that free-play, game-play, and warmup segments resulted in greater percentages of time spent in MVPA than scrimmage, strategy, and sport-skill segments of practice. A number of contextual variables may contribute to low amounts of MVPA during a practice session, such as those related to tasks (e.g., time devoted to organizational tasks, strategy, or self-care), and setting (e.g., fewer opportunities to participate in relation to children available to participate) [ 27 ]. Recent interventions have implemented strategies in effort to address these factors to increase MVPA during youth sport practices [ 29 , 30 ].…”