The Association Between Physical Activity,Sedentary Behavior and Physical Fitness among Children and Adolescents
Background and Purpose:Recognizing the vital role of physical activity in promoting physical health,a distinct dose-response relationship has been identified.This study aims to investigate the association between physi-cal activity and physical fitness among children and adolescents,laying the groundwork for policy formulation to enhance physical fitness in this demographic and implement health promotion initiatives.Methods:A total of 499 children and adolescents aged 3-14 were selected from 19 schools in four provinces and cities across China.Among them,there were 110 preschool children(average age:4.01±0.52 years),207 elementary school students(aver-age age:10.19±0.60 years),and 182 middle school students(average age:12.63±0.56 years).Physical activity levels were assessed by using the ActiGraph GT3X+accelerometer.Physical fitness evaluations were conducted based on the"National Physical Fitness Standards Manual(Preschool Edition)"and the"National Student Physi-cal Fitness Standards(2014 Edition)"for preschool children and elementary/middle school students respectively.Statistical analyses including independent samples t-test,Mann-Whitney U test,and one-way ANOVA were used to explore variations in physical activity and physical fitness among participants of different genders,ages,and school stages.Spearman correlation analysis was employed to explore the correlation.Results:1)According to the World Health Organization's physical activity recommendations and the physical activity standards recommended in the"Canadian 24 Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth",the compliance rate of physical activity among children and adolescents is only 8.02％,with a compliance rate of physical activity among preschool chil-dren of 0.00％.Differences in gender,school stage,age,and time period can lead to differences in physical activi-ty levels.2)The overall physical fitness of children and adolescents is relatively poor,and there are significant gender differences observed among primary school students(t=2.85,P=0.005).The BMI Z-score of children and adolescents varies significantly due to gender(t=3.65,P＜0.001)and school stage(F=7.26,P=0.001).3)Daily low-intensity physical activity is significantly positively correlated with the physical fitness levels of primary school students(r=0.20,P=0.002).Daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is positively correlated with the physical fitness levels of both primary school students(r=0.29,P＜0.001)and junior high school students(r=0.37,P＜0.001),with a stronger correlation observed in junior high school students.4)Prolonged sedentary behavior is as-sociated with worse performance of multiple physical fitness assessment indicators,especially among girls,such as the 10-meter shuttle run for preschool girls(r=0.27,P=0.048),the 50-meter run for primary school girls(r=0.28,P=0.003),and the sit-and-reach test for junior high school girls(r=-0.20,P=0.045).Conclusion:The overall lev-els of physical activity among children and adolescents are generally low,failing to reach half of the recommended international physical activity guidelines.Both moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity and low-intensity physical activity exhibit a significant positive correlation with the overall physical fitness of primary school stu-dents,moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity shows a higher correlation with the overall physical fitness of junior school students compared to primary school students.However,the relationship between physical activity and physical fitness among preschool children is not clear.Prolonged sedentary behavior for girls is negatively cor-related with a multitude of physical fitness assessment indicators.
preschool childrenprimary school childrenjunior high school studentsphysical activityphysical fitness
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