Physical activity level of Thai children and youth: Evidence from Thailand’s 2018 report card on physical activity for children and youth

Abstract

Background While enabling and supporting factors have been in place to facilitate the pupils to be more active, only a fourth of Thai children have met the WHO recommendation. Objective This study aims to present the physical activity (PA) level of Thai children and youth, based on the indicators established by Active Health Kids Global Alliance’s Report Card (RC). Methods The 2016 Thailand RC Survey and the 2015–2017 Thailand’s Surveillance on Physical Activity (SPA) were employed for the analysis. PA of Thai children aged 6–17 years old was assessed in 9 aspects 1) Overall PA, 2) Organized Sports and PA, 3) Active Play, 4) Active Transportation, 5) Sedentary Behavior, 6) Family and Peers, 7) School, 8) Community and Environment, and 9) Government. Results Only 26.2% of Thai children and youth met the recommended level of 60 min MVPA. Boys are generally more active compared to girls in all age groups (34.9% versus 16.3%, respectively). Almost half had participated in organized sports and/or PA program, but only 8.7% of Thai children and youth engaged in unstructured/unorganized active play. The settings and source of influence indicators achieved better grades, shown by 71.0% of family members (e.g., parents, guardians) facilitated PA and sports opportunities for their children. Conclusion Although schools’ facilities are available, Thai curriculum provides less opportunity for the children to move during classes and have enough playing time during recess. As there is no standardized guidance for PA in Thai schools, Thailand needs to promote a unified PA in order to improve PA and to reduce recreational screen time of children and youth.

Paternal and maternal support of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in children on weekdays and weekends: a cross-sectional study

“…However, many children worldwide do not meet this recommendation [ 10 – 12 ]. Only 20.1% of children aged 9 to 15 years in Japan [ 10 ] and 26.2% of children aged 6 to 17 years in Thailand [ 11 ] achieved the MVPA recommendation. In 2013, Wang et al reported that only 3.7–14.0% of boys and 0.7–3.0% of girls aged 9 to 17 years in China met the MVPA recommendation [ 12 ].…”

Prevalence and Trends of Physical Activity in Thai Children and Young People: Pooled Panel Data Analysis from Thailand’s Surveillance on Physical Activity 2012–2020

“…For Thai children and young people, the low participation of girls in PA is also culturally constructed, since most organized sports are geared more toward males. The Thai cultural norm is that the proper girl should be calm and neat (i.e., not making abrupt movements or being sweaty), and that discourages them from engaging in MVPA [ 36 ]. The belief in the importance of fair skin also has been suggested as a significant barrier for Thai girls to engage in outdoor PA, especially if they have to be exposed to direct sunlight [ 51 ].…”

“…The belief in the importance of fair skin also has been suggested as a significant barrier for Thai girls to engage in outdoor PA, especially if they have to be exposed to direct sunlight [ 51 ]. Furthermore, Thai public schools require students to wear uniforms, and the standard girl’s school skirt is not conducive to vigorous movement, compared to the boy’s uniform, which is knee-length shorts [ 36 ].…”

“…In addition, schools provide enabling and supporting inputs to encourage students to be more active. Nevertheless, only one in four Thai children and young people had sufficient MVPA during the period 2013–2017 [ 35 , 36 , 37 ]. The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly disrupted and probably worsened children’s daily physical activities [ 38 ].…”

Dynamics of the morphofunctional state of students with the expansion of fitness means in physical education classes

“…An objective evaluation and interpretation of the criteria for the functional state of the organism of students are a prerequisite for a scientific approach to learning. Such an evaluation helps in the organization of the studying process in physical education (José Enrique et al, 2021;Katewongsa et al, 2021). It provides objective information for health management and planning of physical activity of students.…”