The comparison of school and daily physical activity of 9-10 year old girls and boys

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A preference of sedentary leisure time and an inappropriate environment for physical activity (PA) are some of the main reasons for the decline of PA, decreasing level of physical fitness and an unfavorable balance between energy intake and expenditure. These determinants are closely related with the increase in overweight and obesity within primary school age children. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between gender and total daily PA of primary school children on school days. METHODOLOGY: Six primary schools, which were characterized by the same focus and comparable educational environment and conditions for PA, were included in the research. A total of 85 girls and 84 boys participated in PA monitoring. The PA was monitored by the multifunction accelerometer ActiTrainer. The data was processed using the ActiTrainer09, the special software of the Center for Kinanthropology Research. The data was analyzed using basic statistical concepts, single-factor ANOVA and ω2 effect size coefficient. RESULTS: The results showed that boys are more physically active than girls during their stay at school, both in terms of the step count, and duration of moderate-to-vigorous PA. There were no significant differences between boys and girls in total daily PA. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms a higher PA of boys compared to girls during school. A knowledge of the patterns in the daily physical activity of boys and girls requires a deeper study of the various segments of the school day.

Keywords

• school physical activity
• ActiTrainer
• BMI
• steps
• moderate to vigorous physical activity
• heart rate