Premium
Comparisons of pedometer‐determined weekday physical activity among Swedish school children and adolescents in 2000 and 2017 showed the highest reductions in adolescents
Author(s) -
Raustorp Anders,
Fröberg Andreas
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.14678
Subject(s) - pedometer , medicine , physical activity , demography , pediatrics , physical therapy , sociology
Aim This study compared differences in weekday physical activity among school children and adolescents in middle‐class communities in south‐eastern Sweden in 2000 and 2017. Methods Data were drawn from two independent cross‐sectional cohorts of children and adolescents aged 8, 11 and 14. The same six schools, protocols, procedures and instruments were used in both years, with 332 subjects in 2000 and 562 in 2017. Mean steps per day ( SPD ) were measured with a Yamax SW ‐200 pedometer. Results The mean weekday SPD was similar among eight‐year‐old girls in both years, but 8% (p = 0.040) higher among eight‐year‐old boys in 2017. However, among 11‐year‐old children, the mean SPD were 12% lower among both girls (p = 0.033) and boys (p = 0.001). The SPD among 14‐year‐old adolescents were 24% (p = 0.012) and 30% (p < 0.001) lower among girls and boys, respectively. Conclusion This school‐based study from south‐eastern Sweden showed that weekday physical activity differed between age groups in 2000 and 2017. The highest reductions were seen among older children and adolescents, particularly 14‐year‐old girls and boys. The only group that increased was eight‐year‐old boys, with no significant change in eight‐year‐old girls. A possible explanation might be the dramatically increased use of the Internet on phones and tablets.