Physical Activity in US Youth

Abstract

Purpose To describe physical activity (PA) levels by race/ethnicity, age, gender, and weight status in a representative sample of U.S. youth. Methods Cross-sectional data from the 2003–4 and 2005–6 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were combined and analyzed. Youth ages 6 to 19 with at least 4 10-hour days of PA measured by accelerometry were included (N=3,106). Outcomes included mean counts per minute and minutes spent in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA). Results 6 to 11 year olds spent more time (88 min/day) in MVPA than 12 to 15 (33 min/day) and 16–19 (26 min/day) year olds (p<.001 for both). Females spent fewer min/day in MVPA than males (p<.001). Overall, obese youth spent 16 fewer min/day in MVPA than normal weight youth. However, non-Hispanic White (NHW) males spent 3–4 fewer min/day in vigorous PA than Mexican American (MA) (p=.004) and non-Hispanic Black (NHB) (p<.001) males but had lower obesity rates; and obese 12 to 15 year old MA recorded similar minutes in MVPA per day as normal weight MA (p>.050). There was a significant 3-way age-BMI-race/ethnicity interaction for mean min/day in MVPA (p<.001). Adjustment for total energy intake did not qualitatively alter these results. Conclusion Females and older youth were the least active groups. Obese youth were generally less active, but this did not hold uniformly across race/ethnic groups. Cultural or biological factors could moderate the association between PA and obesity in youth.

Revisiting the National Physical Education Content Standards: What Do We Really Know About Our Achievement of the Physically Educated/Literate Person?

“…This finding reflected an earlier report which suggested that less than one half of American children (6-11) regularly participate in vigorous physical activity and obtain the recommended 60 min per day of physical activity; only 8% of adolescents achieve this goal (Troiano et al, 2008). These figures vary across all demographic variables such as gender, SES, and race, to name but a few (Belcher et al, 2010). Within physical education itself, Smith, Lounsbery, and McKenzie (2014) list a number of studies that have examined physical activity within elementary and middle schools.…”

Physical activity levels in urban-based South African learners: A cross-sectional study of 7 348 participants

“…[19,20] Specifically, research has demonstrated a decline in PA levels with age, particularly in adolescent females. [21,22] The current study shows that PA levels declined at an earlier age in females compared with males (10 years v. 13 years).…”

Results from the United States’ 2014 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

“…In addition, secondary data sources, the 2009-10 Health-Behavior in School-Aged Children Survey and 2003-06 NHANES, identified differences in the results by sex, age, and ethnicity, with males, younger children, and nonwhite ethnicities being more active than their female, older, and white counterparts. 15,25 Sedentary Behaviors: D…”

“…39 Operationally, sedentary behavior has been defined as the amount of time spent at low activity counts on an accelerometer, such as < 100 counts/min. 40 Estimates from NHANES 15 accelerometry data indicated that American children and youth spend over 7 hours being sedentary, and children spend more time being sedentary as they get older. Given the lack of a specific guideline for overall sedentary behavior, the Report Card Research Advisory Committee used total screen time as the primary indicator.…”