Physical Activity Measurement in Children Accepting Table Tennis Training

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Exercise Science
• Sports Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Many Chinese children do not meet recommended physical activity (PA) guidelines.
• Table tennis, a popular sport in China, can increase children's PA levels.
• Objective PA measurement is needed as children cannot self-report, and caregiver reports are unsuitable.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an actigraphy-based procedure for evaluating PA in children.
• To assess the agreement between hip-worn and wrist-worn actigraphy devices.
• To determine the suitability of actigraphy for measuring PA in Chinese children in table tennis clubs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized actigraphic devices and software to measure PA levels.
• Compared data from hip-worn devices with data from wrist-worn devices.
• Assessed the agreement between different device placements.

Main Results:

• Actigraphy devices are suitable for measuring PA and leisure time physical activity (LTPA) levels.
• Both hip-worn and wrist-worn devices demonstrated effectiveness.
• Actigraphy data, combined with subjective questionnaires, is highly suitable for this population.

Conclusions:

• Actigraphy provides an objective method for assessing PA in Chinese children.
• Hip-worn and wrist-worn devices are viable options for PA monitoring in this context.
• This method supports evaluating PA in children engaged in structured sports training like table tennis.