Daily Variations in Weather and the Relationship With Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in European 10- to 12-Year-Olds: The ENERGY-Project
in Journal of Physical Activity and HealthBackground:
The aim of the study was to examine the association of daily variations in rainfall and temperature with sedentary time (ST) and physical activity (PA) in European children.
Methods:
Children were included from 5 countries (Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Switzerland) as part of the ENERGY-project. We used cross-sectional data from 722 children aged 10–12 years (47% boys). ST and PA were measured by accelerometers for 6 consecutive days, including weekend days. Weather data were collected from online national weather reports. Multilevel regression models were used for data analyses.
Results:
Maximum temperature was positively associated with light PA (β = 3.1 min/day; 95% CI = 2.4–3.8), moderate-to-vigorous PA (β = 0.6 min/day; 95% CI = 0.4–0.8), and average PA [β = 4.1 counts per minute (cpm); 95% CI = 1.6–6.5, quadratic relationship]. Rainfall was inversely and quadratically associated with light PA (β = –1.3 min/day; 95% CI = –1.9 to –0.6), moderate-to-vigorous PA (β = –0.6 min/day; 95% CI = –0.8 to –0.3), and average PA (β = –1.6 cpm; 95% CI = –2.2 to –0.9). Maximum temperature was not significantly associated with ST (β = –0.2 min/day; 95% CI = –1.0 to 0.6), while rainfall was positively associated with ST (β = 0.9 min/day; 95% CI = 0.6–1.3).
Conclusion:
The current study shows that temperature and rainfall are significantly associated with PA and ST in 10- to 12-year-old European children.
Yidirim, Schoeni, Singh, Altenburg, and Chinapaw are with the Dept of Public and Occupational Health, VU University Medical Center, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Brug is with the Dept of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. De Bourdeaudhuij is with the Dept of Movement and Sports Sciences, Gent, Belgium. Kovacs is with the Dept of Paediatrics, University of Pécs, Hungary. Bringolf-Isler is with the Dept of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss TPH and University of Basel, Switzerland. Manios is with the Dept of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
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