Ten-Year Objective Physical Activity Tracking

Abstract

Purpose To examine tracking of physical activity (PA) over a ten-year period and investigate whether sex differences in PA trajectories are altered after aligning by maturity instead of age. Methods The Iowa Bone Development Study collected accelerometer data on a cohort of 140 girls and 128 boys at ages 5, 9, 11, 13, and 15 yr. Logistic regression determined the odds ratio of being in lowest PA tertile at 15 yr if in lowest tertile at age 5. Spearman correlation coefficients examined PA tracking from age 5 to 15. Using additional Iowa Bone Development participants at ages 9, 11, 13, and 15 (N=482, 457, 416, and 316, respectively), we examined the stability of PA for chronological and biological age in two-year intervals surrounding peak height velocity (PHV) age. Year from PHV was estimated using Mirwald prediction equation. Results Girls had significant ten-year correlations (r=0.27); boys did not. Girls, not boys, were more likely to be in the lowest tertile for PA at age 15 if in the lowest tertile at age 5 (OR=3.1 MVPA; 95% CI=1.4, 6.9; OR=2.8 Vigorous PA; 95% CI=1.2, 6.1). Girls’ two-year intervals for PA showed moderate associations (r=0.31–0.56) when aligned chronologically, but were moderate to high (r=0.41–0.63) when aligned biologically. Boys’ associations were low to moderate (r=0.26–0.56) chronologically. When aligned biologically, the associations were low for the −1 to 1 yr interval (1 yr prior to 1 yr post-PHV), but moderate to high for the −2 to 0 yr and 0 to 2 yr intervals (r=0.50–0.61). Conclusion Physical activity tracking from childhood to adolescence is stronger in girls than boys. Intervention programs targeting boys should focus on time surrounding puberty in boys where activity patterns change.

Action Schools! BC implementation: from efficacy to effectiveness to scale-up

“…Furthermore, the onset of osteoporosis might be delayed by 13 years127 and risk of fracture in postmenopausal women halved128 if the peak bone mass were increased by 10% or 1 SD, respectively. Small changes in health-related behaviour during childhood may also impact adolescent and adult health due to the tracking of behaviours across these time frames 129. Finally, it seems important that public health action on child health extend beyond the school door if we are to stem the obesity epidemic, as there is little evidence that PA within school transfers to out-of-school activity 32 36 108 130 131.…”

A crossover randomised and controlled trial of the impact of active video games on motor coordination and perceptions of physical ability in children at risk of Developmental Coordination Disorder

“…Ten to twelve year old children were recruited through advertisements placed in mass media, school and community notices and through professional networks in Perth, Western Australia in 2011. This age group was selected given: they have a high use of video games (Rideout et al, 2010), they are able to provide detailed information in diaries and questionnaires and, preadolescent activity behaviours have been demonstrated to track into adulthood (Francis, Morrissey, Letuchy, Levy, & Janz, 2013).…”

levels and sociodemographic correlates of accelerometer-based physical activity in Irish children: a cross-sectional study

“…According to the WHO, children and young people aged 5–17 years old should accumulate at least 60 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily 6. Longitudinal evidence suggests that time spent engaged in PA in childhood tracks into adolescence particularly for girls, and that daily MVPA including MVPA performed during school recess and lunch time declines with age 7 8. Therefore, we need a comprehensive understanding of the determinants of PA to inform policy and strategies to maintain and improve PA levels during childhood.…”

“…Studies among youths examining PA patterns in terms of day type (weekday vs weekend),22–24 school-time versus non-school-time25 26 and time spent in relative PA intensities,7 8 27 28 report differences between overall PA patterns in weekdays and weekends, but inconsistent findings between school time and out of school time.…”