Inequality in physical activity in organized group settings for children: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Children accumulate physical activity (PA) in adult-led organized group settings (e.g., classrooms). Variability in mean PA exists based on the social system structure of setting time, but the influence of structure on PA inequality is unknown. This study examined PA inequality, defined by the Gini coefficient, in time-segmented organized group setting meetings and differences in inequality by setting type and time-segment purpose. PA inequality by time-segment purpose was also examined for gender and socioeconomic status subgroups. Methods: Children’s PA and meeting routines were assessed using accelerometer and video observation data from a sample of school classrooms, before-/after-school programs, and youth club groups (n=30) for third- through sixth-grade children (n=699) in two rural communities. Meeting day routines (n=130) were segmented into smaller units (sessions; n=835), and a purpose code was assigned to each session (e.g., PA). Group accelerometer data were paired with the meetings and sessions, and the Gini coefficient was used to quantify inequality in activity counts and minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) for each segment. Beta generalized estimating equations examined the influence of setting type and session purpose on PA inequality. Results: Inequality in activity counts was significantly lower (p<.05) during youth club meetings (Gini=0.17), and inequality in MVPA minutes was significantly greater (p<.05) during school meetings (Gini=0.34) compared to the other settings. Within meetings, organized PA sessions (Gini=0.20) had significantly lower inequality (p<.05) in activity counts than academic (Gini=0.30), enrichment (Gini=0.31), and non-active recreation (Gini=0.30) sessions. Inequality in MVPA minutes was significantly lower (p<.05) in organized PA (Gini=0.26) and free play (Gini=0.28) sessions than other session types. These findings were consistent in demographic subgroup analyses. Conclusions: PA inequality among children differed by the structure of organized group setting meetings and sessions. The Gini coefficient can illuminate PA inequalities across multiple timescales (e.g., meetings, sessions) in organized group settings for children and may be a useful metric for informing efforts to improve population PA outcomes for children.