Gender differences in the distribution of children’s physical activity: evidence from nine countries

Abstract

Background Physical activity in childhood is thought to influences health and development. Previous studies have found that boys are typically more active than girls, yet the focus has largely been on differences in average levels or proportions above a threshold rather than the full distribution of activity across all intensities. We thus examined differences in the distribution of physical activity between girls and boys in a multi-national sample of children. Methods We used the harmonised International Children Accelerometry Database (ICAD), including waist-worn accelerometry data from 15,461 individuals (Boys: 48.3%) from 9 countries. Employing Generalised Additive Models of Location, Shape, and Scale (GAMLSS) we investigated gender differences in the distribution of individuals, including comparisons of variability (SD) and average physical activity levels (mean and median) and skewness. We conducted this analysis for each activity intensity (Sedentary, Light, and Moderate-to-Vigorous (MVPA)) and a summary measure (counts per minute (CPM)). Results Sizable gender differences in the distribution of activity were found for moderate to vigorous activity and counts per minute, with boys having higher average levels (38% higher mean volumes of MVPA, 20% higher CPM), yet substantially more between-person variability (30% higher standard deviation (SD) for MVPA, 17% higher SD for CPM); boys’ distributions were less positively skewed than girls. Conversely, there was little to no difference between girls and boys in the distribution of sedentary or light-intensity activity. Conclusions Inequality in activity between girls and boys was driven by MVPA. The higher mean volumes of MVPA in boys occurred alongside greater variability. This suggests a need to consider the underlying distribution of activity in future research; for example, interventions which target gender inequality in MVPA may inadvertently lead to increased inequality within girls.

Do girls wash dishes and boys play sports? Gender inequalities in physical activity and in the use of screen-based devices among schoolchildren from urban and rural areas in Brazil

“…Presenting gender inequalities in the specific types of physical activity and in the use of screen-based devices is an approach that provides detailed and complementary information to the evaluation of inequalities in the level of physical activity of children and adolescents. In conjunction with evidence from research using accelerometry, such as a recent study published by Kretschmer et al, (2023) [ 39 ], our findings may help to more clearly understand the inequality in physical activity between girls and boys, which can be driven by moderate to vigorous physical activity, including participation in active play and sports, which was lower among the girls in our study.…”

Physical activity has decreased in Finnish children and adolescents from 2016 to 2022

“…Sex-specific analysis of the present study revealed that girls accumulated on average more LPA than boys in each study year, while the amounts of VPA, MPA, and MVPA were consistently higher among the boys. Previously girls have been reported to have less MVPA than boys [ 5 , 24 ], while there have been no sex-differences in LPA [ 24 ]. In the present study, LPA showed a slight increase among both boys and girls from 2016 to 2018, but a decline thereafter.…”

Gendered relations? Associations between Swedish parents, siblings, and adolescents' time spent sedentary and physically active

“…Importantly, this research also displays that the gap between the two gender categories is increasing, due to that boys have increased their physical activity levels in the last two decades in this age group ( 2 ). Recent research reports not only differences between girls and boys, it also displays the differences within groups showing higher variability among boy's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ( 3 ). These results reveal greater variation between individuals among boys, whereas girls showed less variation between them and with a narrower spread of girls centered around median volumes of physical activity ( 3 ).…”

“…Recent research reports not only differences between girls and boys, it also displays the differences within groups showing higher variability among boy's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ( 3 ). These results reveal greater variation between individuals among boys, whereas girls showed less variation between them and with a narrower spread of girls centered around median volumes of physical activity ( 3 ). This points toward deepened gender inequalities during adolescence, and access to the potential health-promotive benefits of physical activities ( 4 ).…”