Physical activity and sedentary behavior of US immigrant versus non-immigrant adolescents: findings from the NEXT Generation Health Study data

Associations between sedentary behavior and health and the moderating role of physical activity in young people within a cross-sectional investigation

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of sedentary behavior (SB) on the frequency of health complaints (fHC) as well as on self-rated health (SRH) and body mass index (BMI), and to determine whether physical activity (PA) moderated this influence. Data were obtained from the Youth Survey Luxembourg 2019 (N = 2,802), a nationally representative stratified random sample of all youths aged 16 to 29 years who were living in Luxembourg. fHC is a composite measure of eight common psychosomatic health complaints, SRH was measured on a five-point scale, and BMI was calculated by dividing participants' body weight by the square of their body height (kg/m2). PA and SB values were obtained from factor analyses of the relevant questionnaire items. SB was evaluated as both leisure-time SB and gaming-associated SB. Multiple regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and migration status were used to determine the association between SB, fHC, BMI, and SRH. We found that leisure-time SB was positively associated with fHC, but not with SRH or BMI. Gaming-associated SB was positively associated with fHC and BMI but was negatively associated with SRH. PA was negatively associated with fHC, BMI and SRH. No statistically significant moderating effects were observed. We found that both leisure-time and gaming-associated SB showed statistically significant impacts on health. Although PA is known to be beneficial to health, we conclude that its potential to mitigate the negative effects of SB is limited in young people.

Race/Ethnicity Predicts School Meal Participation

BACKGROUND

School meals have demonstrated positive effects on dietary habits of children and adolescents, yet opportunities to increase participation exist. Little is known about how participation differs by race/ethnicity or by acculturation levels, thus this study aims to identify acculturation and race/ethnicity on school meal participation of middle school students.

METHODS

A national convenience sample of adolescents (n = 617) was recruited to participate in a survey about acculturation and obesogenic behaviors through a Qualtrics panel. Data were analyzed in SAS version 9.4 where 2 logistic regression models were built to examine associations between school meal participation and other salient variables.

RESULTS

More than a quarter (26.2%) of participants indicated they eat school lunch daily and 17.4% eat school breakfast daily. In a multivariable model, race/ethnicity, preference for school meals, taste, convenience, cost, and parent influence were all significantly related to daily school lunch participation. Race/ethnicity, time lived outside of the United States, healthiness of school meals, preference of school meals, taste, and cost were significantly related to daily school breakfast participation.

CONCLUSIONS

This study establishes differences in participation rates by race/ethnicities and other factors. Child nutrition professionals should consider students from minoritized populations to understand their lack of participation, particularly because these students likely have poorer diets compared to whites. Additional factors should be considered for increasing participation, including cost, taste, and perceived healthiness.

Barriers and facilitators to meeting recommended physical activity levels among new immigrant and refugee children in Saskatchewan, Canada

Newcomers are often healthy when they arrive in Canada, yet experience health declines shortly thereafter, possibly due to lifestyle changes. As part of the Healthy Immigrant Children study, this mixed-methods study aims to analyze possible predictors of physical activity among 300 newcomer children, and explore their lived experiences using a sub-sample of 19 parents and 24 service providers. Data collection involved questionnaires concerning socioeconomic status and physical activity, anthropometric measurements, and in-depth interviews. Participants aged 5 years and older largely met physical activity recommendations (82.9%), while none of the 3-4-year-olds did. Males were more active than females, especially among older ages. Many participants engaged in too much screen time (53.4-90.0%). Age and income predicted physical activity among males, while parents' education level was the only significant predictor among females. Barriers to physical activity included: recreational physical activity being an unfamiliar concept, gender limitations, financial resources, safety concerns, and children's preference for screen time. Schools played a central role in newcomer children's health by providing accessible opportunities for physical activity. Newcomer families preferred to have their children involved in culturally relevant physical activities. Given the growing newcomer population, it is important to support active lifestyle practices among them. Novelty: About 83% of newcomer children aged 5 years and older met physical activity recommendations, while none of the 3-4-year-olds did. Age and income predicted males' physical activity, while parents' education level predicted females' physical activity. Schools provide accessible opportunities for newcomer children to engage in physical activity.

The Role of the Neighborhood Social Environment in Physical Activity among Hispanic Children: Moderation by Cultural Factors and Mediation by Neighborhood Norms

Little is known about how the neighborhood social environment (e.g., safety, crime, traffic) impacts child physical activity. We examine the mechanism by which the neighborhood social environment is associated with child physical activity, moderated by individual-level cultural factors (e.g., language at home, immigrant generation) and mediated by neighborhood physical activity-related social norms (e.g., seeing walkers in the neighborhood). Data included 2749 non-Hispanic White and Hispanic children from the Healthy Communities Study. Multilevel regression was performed. The neighborhood social environment was not associated with physical activity in the full sample. However, Hispanic children speaking both English and Spanish and first- or second-generation Hispanic children engaged in more physical activity when the quality of the neighborhood social environment was higher (b = 1.60, p < 0.001 for Hispanic children speaking English and Spanish; b = 2.03, p < 0.01 for first-generation Hispanic children; b = 1.29, p < 0.01 for second-generation Hispanic children). Neighborhood physical activity-related social norms mediated the association between the neighborhood social environment and physical activity among Hispanic children speaking English and Spanish (b = 0.33, p < 0.001) and second-generation Hispanic children (b = 0.40, p < 0.001). Findings suggest heterogeneity in how neighborhood social environments impact physical activity by cultural factors. Health promotion programs may need to enhance neighborhood social environments to increase Hispanic children’s physical activity.

Global Prevalence of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep of Immigrant Children: a Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Although insufficient physical activity (PA), high sedentary behaviour (SB), and inadequate sleep are fairly common among children, little is known about these behaviours in immigrant children. This systematic review examined the prevalence of PA, SB, and sleep among immigrant children aged 5-17 years around the globe.

METHODS

Four electronic databases were searched to retrieve the English language peer-reviewed original articles published between 2000 and 2019. Cross-sectional, cohort, or longitudinal studies that reported on the prevalence of PA, SB, or sleep-related outcomes among immigrant children were included.

RESULTS

Of 2724 retrieved articles, 55 were selected for full-text screening and 12 met the eligibility criteria. Five studies were based on nationally representative samples. Over half (n = 7; 58%) of the studies assessed only PA, one reported only sleep, three reported both PA and SB, and one reported all three behaviours. Only one study used device-based measure. Assessment of PA and SB varied greatly across the studies with their differing definitions. The prevalence of doing PA ranged from 48 to 72%. Three studies reported an average sedentary time ranging from 1 to 3 h/day. One study reported that 10-13% of immigrant children in the USA had inadequate sleep. All of the studies reviewed were from Western countries with no study from non-Western countries.

CONCLUSIONS

Future studies should include all three movement behaviours and use standard assessment tools and definitions. Future research should extend beyond Western countries to non-Western countries with immigrant children.

Obesity Prevention Behaviors in Asian Indian Adolescent Girls: A Pilot Study

PURPOSE

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate obesity prevention behaviors of Asian Indian adolescent females and determine the relationship of these behaviors to cardiovascular risk factors.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A purposive sample of twenty females, 14-18 years of age, was enrolled. Body mass index, percent body fat, waist circumference, and blood pressure were measured to assess cardiovascular risk. Measures of obesity prevention behaviors were physical activity, dietary and sleeping behaviors. To quantify engagement in physical activity, participants wore an accelerometer. The dietary intake was assessed using the web based SuperTracker. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used to assess sleep behaviors. For data analysis, descriptive statistics was used for demographic characteristics. Correlations were calculated to evaluate the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and obesity prevention behaviors.

RESULTS

The majority of the adolescents did not meet recommended physical activity levels. Most reported unhealthy eating behaviors with higher saturated fat intake correlating with higher percent body fat. The cardiovascular risk measures fell below normative values. However, more time spent in sedentary behaviors was related to higher systolic blood pressure, while poor sleep quality was associated with higher diastolic blood pressure and greater BMI.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings support the unhealthy patterns of physical activity, dietary and sleep behaviors in Asian Adolescent girls and the need for promoting healthy behaviors in this at risk population.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The study findings provide a basis for education on healthy behaviors and development of culturally appropriate interventions to prevent obesity.