Accelerometer measured physical activity patterns of children during segmented school day in Abu Dhabi

Results from the United Arab Emirates 2022 report card on physical activity for children and adolescents

Objective

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) 2022 Report Card provides a systematic evaluation of the physical activity (PA) levels of children and adolescents in the UAE.

Methods

The 2022 Report Card utilized data from 2017 to 2021 to inform 10 core PA indicators that were common to the Global Matrix 4.0.

Results

One in five (19%) UAE school children achieved the recommended amount of moderate-to-vigorous PA (i.e. ≥60 min/d; Total Physical Activity Grade F). Less than 1% of school children used active transport to and from school (Active Transportation Grade F). One in four (26%) secondary school children achieved the recreational screen time recommendations (i.e. ≤2 h/d; Sedentary Behaviours Grade D-). A quarter of adults reported achieving the recommended PA level (i.e. ≥150 min of moderate-intensity PA per week, or equivalent) (Family and Peers Grade D-). All school children are taught physical education (PE) by a specialist with at least a bachelor's degree in PE; however, the duration of weekly PE classes varied between schools (School Grade A-). The UAE Government has invested significant funds and resources into developing and implementing strategies and facilities that will increase PA across the entire population (Government Grade B+). Organised Sport and Physical Activity, Active Play, Physical Fitness, and Community and Environment indicators were graded 'Incomplete' (INC) due to a lack of available data.

Conclusions

Overall, PA levels remain low and sedentary behaviours remain high amongst UAE children and adolescents. The UAE Government has sustained investment in further developing PA opportunities for all children and adults which should translate to increased PA and health improvements at a population level.

The effect of lockdowns and distant learning on the health-related behaviours of school students in the United Arab Emirates

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic began to affect the world in early 2020. As a preventive measure, schools in the UAE adopted remote learning. This study aimed to assess the effects of the lockdown and remote learning on the health-related behaviours of school students in the UAE.

Methods

A cross-sectional study using an online survey comprising 33 questions related to physical activity, eating, sleeping and screen time was answered by the students’ parents. Chi-square tests, paired Student’s t tests and frequency tables were used for analysis.

Results

A total of 27,754 responses were received: 46.3% of the parents indicated a significant decrease in physical activity; 44.6% indicated an increase in unhealthy snack consumption; and 51.9% indicated decreased food ordering from restaurants. The percentage of students who slept more than 9 hours and those who slept less than 6 hours increased. Screen time increased significantly for both educational and entertainment purposes (P value < 0.0001).

Conclusion

The study showed changes in the lifestyle and health-related behaviours of school students as indicated by their parents. Risk factors such as a lack of physical activity, increased food consumption, sleeping and screen time were directly affected. Therefore, it is important to further investigate these changes and their effects to help design targeted health education programs and promotion campaigns.

Methods recently used for the assessment of physical activity in children and adolescents

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The aim of this review is to summarize recent evidences and advances on the implementation and the use of new tools to assessing physical activity (PA) in children.

RECENT FINDINGS

Technological advances provide, increasingly, new objective methods for the evaluation of PA in children. In addition to accelerometry, there are other objective methods for assessing PA in children such as new wearable monitoring and activity bracelets, smartphone and recording software applications, Global Positioning System or Inertial Sensors Devices.

SUMMARY

Doubly labeled water and calorimetry are reference methods to assessing PA but with limitations of use. Accelerometry is an accurate method for measuring sedentary behavior and PA levels in children. In fact, it is a real alternative reference method for the validation of methods and tools of assessing PA. However, there is still no consensus about the most appropriate approach to analyze the duration and intensity of PA in children. Therefore, the implementation of other alternative objective methods, as well as complementation with PA questionnaires, can provide a more precise evaluation of different patterns and behaviors related with sedentarism and PA.

Impact of weekdays versus weekend days on accelerometer measured physical behavior among children and adolescents: results from the MoMo study

Structured activities, in which children participate for example at school, are consistent and limited in scope. After-school or weekend activities, by contrast, involve a wider range of behaviors. Studies have shown that physical activity (PA), as measured by accelerometers, is lower on weekends compared to weekdays or school days, whereas PA does not differ between weekdays. In the present study, we examined accelerometer data of children and adolescents living in Germany for the different weekdays and weekend days. The current analysis used cross-sectional data of participants (n = 2743) aged 6–17 years collected between 2014 and 2017. The final valid sample consisted of 2278 children and adolescents divided into three age groups (6–10 years, n = 713; 11–13 years, n = 706; 14–17 years, n = 859) and two gender groups (1072 boys, 1206 girls). Physical behavior, including sedentary behavior, as well as light, moderate, vigorous PA, and wear time were analyzed. Absolute and percentage intensity distributions were evaluated daily. The average wear time was 807 min daily from Monday–Thursday with significant deviations from the mean on Friday (+38 min), Saturday (−76 min), and Sunday (−141 min). Absolute moderate to vigorous PA times were lower on weekends than during the week. However, the percentage intensity distribution remained constant over all days. Girls were less physically active and more sedentary than boys (F1,2272 = 38.3; p < 0.01) and adolescents were significantly less active than younger children (F2,2272 = 138.6; p < 0.01). Waking times increased with age (F2,2272 = 138.6; p < 0.01). Shorter awake periods limit possible active times on weekends, resulting in lower PA and sedentary behavior compared to weekdays. The percentage distributions of the different physical behavior intensity categories are similar over all weekdays and weekend days. We could not find a justification for specific weekend interventions. Instead, interventions should generally try to shift activity away from sedentary behavior towards a more active lifestyle.