Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T22:27:13.784Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Charting the physical activity patterns of contemporary children and adolescents†

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2007

Kenneth R. Fox  and
Chris Riddoch
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The impact of physical inactivity on health is well accepted throughout the medical and health service community. However, the case has largely been established through epidemiological studies with adults. Substantial attention has been paid to the activity levels of children and adolescents, largely because of changing lifestyles that have threatened the opportunity to be active and also introduced attractive sedentary alternatives such as playing computer games. The research evidence that children have become less active to the point where it is seriously damaging their current and future health has been difficult to establish. This situation is due to difficulties in establishing sensitive health risk markers, and also with the assessment of the different elements of physical activity which in children and adolescents is a complex profile of social behaviours. Self report of activity is unreliable with young children, and objective measures are required that are cheap and effective with large samples and that are capable of measuring levels, volume and patterns of physical activity. Accelerometry in combination with diaries offers the best current solution for most activity–health relationships, and for informing intervention need and design.

Keywords

Physical activityExerciseEnergy expenditureBody fatChildren
Type
Symposium on ‘Growing up with good nutrition: a focus on the first two decades’
Information
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society , Volume 59 , Issue 4 , November 2000 , pp. 497 - 504
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2000

References

Almeida, MJCA, Boutcher, SH, Fox, KR & Santos, AMC (2000) Relationships between TriTrac-R3D estimates of energy expenditure and indirect calorimetry in adolescents. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science 1 (In the Press).Google Scholar
Armstrong, N, Balding, J, Gentle, P & Kirby, B (1990) Patterns of physical activity among 11 to 16 year old British children. British Medical Journal 301, 203–205.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berlin, JA & Colditz, GA (1990) A meta analysis of physical activity in the prevention of coronary heart disease. American Journal of Epidemiology 132, 612–628.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Biddle, SJH, Fox, KR & Boutcher, SH (editors) (2000). Physical Activity and Psychological Well-being. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Biddle, SJH, Sallis, JF & Cavill, NA (editors) (1998). Young and Active? Young People and Health Enhancing Physical Activity: Evidence and Implications. London: Health Education Authority.Google Scholar
Blum, R (1987) Contemporary threats to adolescent health in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association 257, 3390–3395.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bouchard, C & Blair, SN (1999) Introductory comments to the consensus on physical activity and obesity. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 31, S498–S501.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
British Heart Foundation (2000). Couch Kids – The Growing Epidemic. London: British Heart Foundation.Google Scholar
British Nutrition Foundation Task Force on Obesity (1998). Obesity. London: Blackwell Science.Google Scholar
Caspersen, CJ, Powell, KE & Christenson, GM (1985) Physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness: definitions and distinctions for health-related research. Public Health Reports 100, 126–131.Google ScholarPubMed
Corbin, CB, Pangrazi, RP & Welk, GJ (1994) Toward an understanding of appropriate physical activity levels for youth. Physical Activity and Fitness Research Digest, vol. 1, pp. 1–8. Washington, DC: President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1998). Health Survey for England, 1996. London: The Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Department of Health and Human Services (1996). Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.Google Scholar
DuRant, RH, Baranowski, T, Johnson, M & Thompson, WO (1994) The relationship between television watching and body composition among young children. Pediatrics 94, 449–455.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fox, KR, Biddle, SJH, Edmunds, LE, Killoran, A & Bowler, I (1997) Physical activity promotion through primary health care in England. British Journal of General Practice 47, 367–369.Google ScholarPubMed
Grant, T (editor) (2000). Physical Activity and Mental Health: National Consensus Statements and Guidelines for Practice. London: Health Education Authority.Google Scholar
Gregory, J & Lowe, S (2000) National Diet and Nutrition Survey: Young People Aged 4 to 18 Years. London: The Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Harter, S (1988) Developmental processes in the construction of the self. In Integrative Processes and Early Socialization: Early to Middle Childhood, pp. 45–78 [Yawkey, TD and Johnson, JE, editors]. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Haskell, WL, Yee, MC, Evans, A & Irby, PJ (1993) Simultaneous measurement of heart rate and body motion to quantitate physical activity. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 25, 109–115.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Health Education Authority (1996). Active for Life Campaign. London: Health Education Authority.Google Scholar
Health Education Authority (1997). Young and Active: Draft Policy Framework for Young People and Health-enhancing Physical Activity. London: Health Education Authority.Google Scholar
Health Education Authority and Sports Council (1992). Allied Dunbar National Fitness Survey: Main Findings. London: Sports Council and Health Education Authority.Google Scholar
Hillman, M (editor) (1993) One false move. . . . An overview of the findings and issues they raise. In Children, Transport and the Quality of Life, pp. 7–18. London: Policy Studies Institute.Google Scholar
Hughes, JM, Li, L, Chinn, S & Rona, RJ (1997) Trends in growth in England and Scotland, 1972 to 1994. Archives of Diseases in Childhood 76, 182–189.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Killoran, AJ, Fentem, P & Casperson, C (editors) (1994). Moving On: International Perspectives on Promoting Physical Activity. London: Health Education Authority.Google Scholar
Livingstone, MBE (1997) Heart-rate monitoring: the answer for assessing energy expenditure and physical activity in population studies? British Journal of Nutrition 78, 869–871.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Livingstone, MBE & Robson, PJ (2000) Measurement of dietary intake in children. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 59, 271–285.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Malina, RM (1996) Tracking of physical activity and physical fitness across the lifespan. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport 67, Suppl. 1, S1–S10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nilsson, A, Ekelund, U, Yngve, A, Froberg, K, Wedderkopp, N, Westerterp, K & Sjostrom, M (1999) Assessment of children's physical activity: a validation of the CSA activity monitor with the doubly labelled water method. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 31, S232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paffenbarger, RS, Hyde, RT, Wing, AL & Hsieh, C (1986) Physical activity, all-cause mortality, and longevity of college alumni. New England Journal of Medicine 314, 605–613.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Powell, KE, Thompson, PD, Casperson, CJ & Kendrick, KS (1987) Physical activity and the incidence of coronary heart disease. Annual Review of Public Health 8, 281–287.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Prentice, AM & Jebb, SA (1995) Obesity in Britain: gluttony or sloth? British Medical Journal 311, 437–439.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Riddoch, CJ (1998) Relationships between physical activity and health in young people. In Young and Active, pp. 17–48 [Biddle, SJH, Sallis, JF and Cavill, NC, editors]. London: Health Education Authority.Google Scholar
Riddoch, CJ, Andersen, L-B, Edwards, D, Froberg, K, Hansen, HS, Van Mechelen, W, Page, AS & Sjostrom, M (2000) The European Youth Heart Study: background, aims and design. In Children and Exercise. Proceedings of the XXth International Symposium of the European Group of Paediatric Work Physiology. (In the Press).Google Scholar
Riddoch, CJ & Boreham, CAG (2000) Physical activity, physical fitness and children's health: current concepts. In Paediatric Exercise Science and Medicine, pp. 243–252 [Armstrong, N and van Mechelen, W, editors]. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Riddoch, CJ, Mahoney, C, Murphy, N, Cran, G & Boreham, C (1991) The physical activity patterns of Northern Irish schoolchildren aged 11–16 years. Pediatric Exercise Science 3, 300–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riddoch, CJ, Puig-Ribera, A & Cooper, A (1998) Effectiveness of Physical Activity Promotion Schemes in Primary Care: A Review. London: Health Education Authority.Google Scholar
Rowland, TW (1996) Is there a scientific rationale supporting the value of exercise for the present and future cardiovascular health of children? The con argument. Pediatric Exercise Science 8, 303–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sallis, J & Patrick, K (1994) Physical activity guidelines for adolescents: consensus statement. Pediatric Exercise Science 6, 299–301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sallis, JF & Owen, N (1999) Physical Activity and Behavioral Medicine. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Saris, WHM (1986) Habitual physical activity in children: methodology and findings in health and disease. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 18, 253–263.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stager, JM, Lindeman, A & Edwards, J (1995) The use of doubly labeled water in quantifying energy expenditure during prolonged activity. Sports Medicine 19, 166–172.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Troiano, RP, Flegal, KM, Kuczmarksi, RJ, Campbell, SM & Johnson, CL (1995) Overweight prevalence and trends for children and adolescents. Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine 149, 1085–1091.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Trost, SG, Ward, DS, Moorehead, SM, Watson, PD, Riner, W & Burke, JR (1998) Validity of the computer science and applications (CSA) activity monitor in children. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 30, 629–633.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wareham, NJ & Rennie, KL (1998) The assessment of physical activity in individuals and populations: Why try to be more precise about how physical activity is assessed? International Journal of Obesity 22, Suppl. 2, S30–S38.Google ScholarPubMed
Westerterp, KR (1999) Assessment of physical activity level in relation to obesity: current evidence and research issues. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 31, S522–S525.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization (1995) Exercise for health. WHO/ FIMS Committee on Physical Activity for Health. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 73, 135–136.Google Scholar