Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity Is Associated With Cardiorespiratory Fitness Among Primary Schoolchildren Living in Côte d'Ivoire, South Africa, and Tanzania

Effects of different types of exercise intensity on improving health-related physical fitness in children and adolescents: a systematic review

A substantial body of empirical evidence reveals that physical activity is associated with a wide range of positive physical and mental health outcomes. However, an absence of comprehensive syntheses is observed concerning the varying effects of different exercise intensities on the improvement of physical health among children and adolescents. The aim of this review is to systematically investigate the effects of different exercise intensities on the physical fitness of children and adolescents, to analyses the optimal exercise intensities for improving physical fitness, and to provide a relevant theoretical basis for optimizing school physical education curricula. A systematic search strategy was used in this study in four online databases (PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO and Web of Science). Intervention studies that met the inclusion criteria underwent a thorough screening process, and their methodological quality was assessed utilizing the PEDro scale. The selected literature was systematically analyzed and evaluated through induction, summary, analysis, and evaluation. These findings indicate that high-intensity exercise training exerts significant positive effects on body composition, cardiopulmonary function and muscle fitness in children and adolescents. Therefore, we suggest that schools should focus on high-intensity sports in their physical education curriculum, which can further improve the student's PHYSICAL FITNESS.

Sustainable effects of a motor skill programme on physical activity levels in 7-8 years old children, in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

BACKGROUND

Deteriorating global physical activity (PA) levels among children warrants new and sustainable approaches to increase PA levels. This study aimed to determine the immediate and sustainable influences of a 9-week movement program on the PA levels in 7 to 8-year-old school children in the Raymond Mhlaba Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.

METHODS

A randomized control trial including two groups (control group (CG) and intervention group (IG)), pre-post-retest (after six months of no intervention) design was used. Seventy school children, mean age 7.12 years (± 0.71) (n = 35 IG; n = 35 CG) participated in the study. A 9-week movement program was followed twice a week for 30 min during school hours. PA was measured for 7 consecutive days using a hip-mounted wGT3X-BT Actigraph accelerometer. The Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition (TGMD-3) was used to assess motor skills. Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM) was applied to analyze the data with time, sex, and group as predictors. Effect sizes were computed using Cohen's d-cut points to assess the practical significance of changes over time. Estimated regression coefficients were also computed to determine the strength of the relationship between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and fundamental movement skills (FMS).

RESULTS

Before the intervention, 60% of the IG met the 60 min of daily MVPA guideline, while light physical activity (LPA) per day was also higher than sedentary behavior (SB) in both groups. No immediate (p < 0.01) or sustainable (p < 0.01) increases in MVPA levels were found and no positive associations emerged between FMS and MVPA levels.

CONCLUSIONS

This intervention had little to no effect on children's MVPA. More understanding of the activity behavior and interests of children is needed to improve their PA behavior through the content of movement programs. Strategies are also needed to communicate clear messages at a personalized but also parental level, focusing on enhancing health through regular PA, especially to promote PA in young children.

Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, Weight Status, and Body Composition among South African Primary Schoolchildren

Background: Over the past decades, childhood overweight has increased in many African countries. We examined the relationship between sedentary behaviour, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and body composition in South African primary schoolchildren living in peri-urban settings. Methods: MVPA was measured via 7-day accelerometry and body composition via bioelectrical impedance analysis in 1090 learners (49.2% girls, M_age = 8.3 ± 1.4 years). The relationships between MVPA and sedentary behaviour with the various body composition indicators (body fat and fat-free mass [total, truncal, arms, and legs], bone mass, muscle mass, and body water) were tested with mixed linear regressions. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 9.8% and 6.6%, respectively; 77.1% of the children engaged in ≥60 min of MVPA/day. Girls were more likely to be overweight/obese, to accumulate less than 60 min of MVPA/day, and had significantly higher relative body fat than boys (ps < 0.001). Lower MVPA was associated with a higher likelihood of being overweight/obese, higher relative body fat, and lower relative fat-free mass, bone mass, muscle mass, and body water (ps < 0.001). For lower sedentary behaviour, the associations with body composition pointed in the opposite direction. Conclusions: In this South African setting, girls are a particularly relevant target group for future physical activity interventions to prevent overweight/obesity-related non-communicable diseases in later life.

Physical activity and sedentary behaviour of primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa

Background

This study was designed to assess physical activity (PA) levels and sedentary behaviour amongst primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was adopted to assess the patterns and levels of PA and sedentary behaviour using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C). The sample consisted of primary school learners, both boys and girls, aged 9–14 years. The learners were randomly selected from rural, urban and peri-urban areas in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

Results

Using a complete case analysis, 870 randomly selected participants (boys = 351 and girls = 519) aged 9–14 years were retained. Overall, the sample had a low mean PAQ-C score of 2.33 ± 0.43. The mean of PA in boys was significantly higher (p = 0.003) in comparison with the girls. The 13- to 14-age group had significantly higher PA levels (p = 0.014). Learners from urban areas (n = 136; 77.3%) engaged more in sedentary behaviour compared to those from rural areas (n = 252; 54.9%).

Conclusion

The findings demonstrated low levels of PA and high engagement of sedentary behaviour across the combined gender groups, which have negative implications on health, growth and development of children. The study, therefore, recommends relevant stakeholders to implement interventions aimed at promoting an increase in PA and a reduction in sedentary behaviours for primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.