Physical Activity Among Canadian Children on School Days and Non-School Days

Kerry Ann Vander Ploeg, Biao Wu, Jon McGavock, and Paul J. Veugelers

Background: Schools are frequently cited as a favorable venue to promote physical activity (PA), however little data exist describing times when students are least active. Our objective was to overcome this limitation and describe time periods when students are least active. Methods: We used a cross-sectional design to assess patterns of PA in 923 grade 5 students (mean age: 10.9 (±0.4) years) from 30 schools in Alberta, Canada. Students wore time-stamped pedometers for 9 consecutive days, providing 7 full days of data. We compared step counts adjusted for non-wear time between school days and non-school days as well as during school hours and after school hours. Results: 689 (75%) students provided complete data. The average daily step count was higher on school days (boys 13,476 ± 4,123 step/day; girls 11,436 ± 3,158 steps/day) than non-school days (boys 11,009 ± 5,542 steps/day; girls 10,256 ± 5,206 steps/day). More steps were also taken during school hours than non-school hours (boys +206 ± 420 steps/hour p <0.001; girls 210 ± 347 p <0.001 steps/hour). Conclusions: PA levels of children are below Canadian recommended levels for optimal growth and health. Health promotion should emphasize PA particularly among girls, outside school hours, and weekends.

Key words: Pedometer, physical activity, school, childhood obesity, public health

Acceptance Date: August 29, 2011