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Examining physical activity among 5- to 6- and 10- to 12-year-old children: The children's leisure activities study

journal contribution
posted on 2005-08-01, 00:00 authored by Amanda Telford, Jo SalmonJo Salmon, Anna TimperioAnna Timperio, David CrawfordDavid Crawford
The aim of this study was to describe the type, frequency, duration, and intensity of children's physical activity and to examine differences by sex, age, and socioeconomic status. Participants consisted of 5- to 6-year-old (n = 291) and 10- to 12-year-old (n = 919) children and their parents who were taking part in the Children's Leisure Activities Study (CLASS). Parents completed proxy questionnaires about their child's activities, and all children wore an accelerometer for 8 days. Accelerometry data showed that younger children accumulated approximately 4 hrs of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) per day, and older children accumulated approximately 2 hrs per day. Fewer than three-quarters of 10- to 12-year-old boys and less than half of 10- to 12-year-old girls recorded 120 min of MVPA per day. Significant differences in the number of activities, as well as the type and frequency of activities performed, were observed by age and sex. The findings indicate that physical activities that appeal to older girls, such as lifestyle-type noncompetitive activities, should be considered in the development of physical activity promotion strategies.

History

Journal

Pediatric exercise science

Volume

17

Issue

3

Pagination

266 - 280

Publisher

Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.

Location

Champaign, IL

ISSN

0899-8493

eISSN

1543-2920

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2005, Human Kinetics, Inc.

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