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Published on: March 7, 2019
Levels of physical activity of a sample of 10-13 year old New Zealand children
Insights
Only 53% of New Zealand children aged 10-13 meet physical activity guidelines. This study monitored heart rates to assess moderate-intensity activity, revealing a concerning trend towards sedentary lifestyles.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Exercise Physiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Current physical activity guidelines recommend 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity daily for children.
- Sedentary lifestyles are increasing among children due to passive leisure and reduced active transport.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the proportion of 10-13 year old New Zealand children meeting Ministry of Health physical activity guidelines.
- To assess children's adherence to recommended daily physical activity levels.
Main Methods:
- Heart rates of 60 children (aged 10-13) were monitored for 12 hours over 4 days (3 weekdays, 1 weekend day).
- Moderate-intensity activity was defined as heart rates exceeding 139 beats per minute (bpm).
- Proportion meeting guidelines (≥30 minutes of elevated heart rate on 3/4 days) was calculated.
Main Results:
- 53% of the children met the physical activity guidelines.
- Boys exhibited significantly higher durations of elevated heart rate compared to girls.
- No significant correlation was found between guideline attainment and school decile ranking.
Conclusions:
- A low proportion of New Zealand children are meeting minimum physical activity recommendations.
- Increasing sedentary behavior and reduced active transportation are contributing factors.
- The findings highlight a significant public health concern regarding childhood physical activity levels.
Aims:
To determine what proportion of a sample of 10 to 13 year old New Zealand children attained the Ministry of Health's physical activity guidelines. These guidelines recommend that children accumulate a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week.
Methods:
The heart rates of sixty 10-13 year olds were monitored at one minute intervals, for twelve hours on three week days and one weekend day. For each day, the number of minutes when the subject's heart rate exceeded 139 beats per minutes (bpm) was determined. The proportion of subjects who accumulated at least 30 minutes of heart rates > 139 bpm on three of the four recording days was determined. These subjects were deemed to have met the physical activity guidelines.
Results:
53% of subjects met the minimum physical acivity guidelines. Boys spent significantly more of their time with their heart rates elevated above 139 bpm than girls. There was no significant difference between the number of children achieving the recommended guidelines and their school's decile ranking.
Conclusion:
There are indications that children's lives are becoming more sedentary due in part to the popularity of passive forms of leisure and the reduced incidence of active forms of transportation like walking or cycling to school. The low proportion of New Zealand children meeting the minimum physical activity guidelines is a cause for great concern.
