How active are our children? Findings from the Millennium Cohort Study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo describe levels of physical activity, sedentary time and adherence to Chief Medical Officers (CMO) physical activity guidelines among primary school-aged children across the UK using objective accelerometer-based measurements.DesignNationally representative prospective cohort study.SettingChildren born across the UK, between 2000 and 2002.Participants6497 7-year-old to 8-year-old singleton children for whom reliable accelerometer data were available for at least 10 h a day for at least 2 days.Main outcome measuresPhysical activity in counts per minute (cpm); time spent in sedentary and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA); proportion of children meeting CMO guidelines (≥60 min/day MVPA); average daily steps.Explanatory measuresGender, ethnicity, maternal current/most recent occupation, lone parenthood status, number of children in the household and country/region of residence.ResultsThe median daily physical activity level was 595 cpm (IQR 507, 697). Children spent a median of 60 min (IQR 47–76) in MVPA/day and were sedentary for a median of 6.4 h/day (IQR 6–7). Only 51% met CMO guidelines, with girls (38%) less active than boys (63%). Children took an average of 10 229 (95% CI (8777 to 11 775)) steps each day. Children of Indian ethnicity were significantly less active overall than all other ethnic groups. Children of Bangladeshi origin and those living in Northern Ireland were least likely to meet CMO guidelines.ConclusionsOnly half of 7-year-old children in the UK achieve recommended levels of physical activity, with significant gender, ethnic and geographic variations. Longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the relevance of these (in)activity patterns for long-term health and well-being. In the meantime population-wide efforts to boost physical activity among young people are needed which are likely to require a broad range of policy interventions.

Long-Term Athletic Development, Part 2

“…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 ). Of particular concern, researchers have shown that physical activity levels appear to peak at approximately 6 years of age, after which there is a consistent decline into adolescence and adulthood ( 126).…”

Teacher perceptions on the delivery and implementation of movement integration strategies: The CLASS PAL (Physically Active Learning) Programme

“…Children of primary school age in the United Kingdom (UK) engage in sedentary behaviour ((low energy expenditure activities) in a seated or reclined position during waking hours (Sedentary Behaviour Research Network, 2012)) for between 5-7 hours per day (Griffiths et al, 2013). In addition, levels of participation in moderateto-vigorous physical activity are low (Griffiths et al, 2013).…”

“…In addition, levels of participation in moderateto-vigorous physical activity are low (Griffiths et al, 2013). Schools are frequently used as contexts for promoting children's health due to the ability to maximise reach, availability of existing resources, and possibility of curricular integration and sustainability (Fairclough et al, 2013).…”

Results from England’s 2014 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

“…This grade was influenced by the quality of data available to inform this indicator. Specifically, the MCS 7,8 provided the highest quality data (in terms of sample size, sampling strategy, and objective measures of PA employed) though data were only available for 7 to 8 year old children. As the grade for this indicator should reflect children of all ages, data from the HSE (2008) 4 and the HBSC (2010) 9 were included.…”