Results From Thailand’s 2016 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

Abstract

Background: Physical activity (PA) is recognized as one of the core modifiable risk factors of noncommunicable diseases. However, little is known about PA in the Thai population, particularly in children. The report card (RC) project provided Thailand with an opportunity to assess PA behaviors in children. This paper summarizes the methodology, grading process, and the final grades of the Thai RC. Methods: A school-based survey was conducted to collect data from a nationally representative sample of children aged 6 to 17 years. Survey results provided the primary source for the RC. Nine indicators were graded using the Global Matrix 2.0 framework. Grading was undertaken by a national committee comprising experts from key stakeholders. Results: Grades ranged from F to B. Overall PA and Sedentary Behaviors both received the grade D-. Organized Sport Participation scored a C. Active Play scored the grade F. Active Transport and support from Family and Peers were both graded B. School, Community, and Government indicators were scored C. Conclusions: In Thai children, participation in PA and active play is very low; conversely, sedentary behaviors are high. These first data on patterns of activity for the Thailand RC will serve to guide national actions and advocacy aimed at increasing PA in children.

“Are Thai children and youth sufficiently active? prevalence and correlates of physical activity from a nationally representative cross-sectional study”

“…Use of active transport can contribute to a higher chance of meeting the PA guideline in the 10-13 year group [37], although in this study active transport was not sustained in the 14-17 year group. It is possible that the decline in the PA prevalence in the oldest age group might be due to the popular use of motorcycles among teenagers, and social values placed on high academic achievement [14]. …”

“…A multi-stage stratified cluster sampling was applied to recruit students into the survey. Details of the sampling conducted at each stage are reported elsewhere [14]. In total, 16,843 children and youth from 336 schools in 27 provinces from 9 regions across the country including Bangkok participated in the survey.…”

“…Available data provide limited basis for consensus with prevalence estimates ranging from as low as 12% up to 61% [11–13]. A recent national survey on PA in Thai children and youth reported that 23% of them met the global PA guideline [14] and this is more similar to international trends [15–17]. Similar patterns between sex were observed with Thai boys (29%) participating at greater levels than girls (17%) and the oldest age group reported the lowest prevalence (20%) of meeting the guidelines as seen in other countries [8, 16, 18–20].…”

Global Matrix 2.0: Report Card Grades on the Physical Activity of Children and Youth Comparing 38 Countries

“…15,78 Active Transportation. Active Transportation grades showed a wide distribution with the Netherlands reporting an A, 44 Zimbabwe an A-, 61 7 countries a B, 19 countries a C, 5 countries a D, 2 countries (United Arab Emirates, 56 United States 57 ) an F, and 3 countries an INC. While active transportation may be a necessity for some children in countries such as Zimbabwe, 61 Nigeria, 46 and Kenya, 40 in other countries with high grades it represents a choice that may be driven more by supportive policies and/or traditional cultural norms (eg, Denmark, 31 Finland, 34 the Netherlands 44 ).…”

“…China, 29 the Netherlands, 44 and Thailand 56 had the highest grades (B) for the Family and Peers indicator, while Ghana 35 had the lowest grade (F). Similar to the Active Play indicator, many countries (17) assigned an INC grade.…”