Association Between Television Viewing and Physical Activity in 10-Year-Old Brazilian Children
in Journal of Physical Activity and HealthClick name to view affiliation
Search for other papers by Gerson Luis de Moraes Ferrari in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Timoteo Leandro Araujo in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Luis Oliveira in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Victor Matsudo in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Emily Mire in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Tiago V. Barreira in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Catrine Tudor-Locke in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Peter T. Katzmarzyk in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Background:
Studies have found an association between television (TV) viewing and physical activity levels. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between TV viewing and physical activity in 10-year-old Brazilian children.
Methods:
The sample consisted of 485 children. Self-reported TV viewing on weekdays and weekends was assessed by questionnaire. An Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer was used to monitor the range of physical activity intensities (including moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; MVPA), sedentary behavior (SB) and steps/day over 7 days.
Results:
Daily MVPA was highest among children viewing TV <1 hour/day (69 min) compared with children viewing 1 to 2 hours/day (61 min), 3 to 4 hours/day (55 min) and ≥ 5 hours/day (59 min) on weekdays (P = .0015). Differences in MVPA were not observed across TV categories on weekends. The prevalence of reaching 60 min/day of MVPA and 12,000 steps/day on weekdays was significantly greater in children viewing ≤ 2 hours/day (51.7% and 23.5%, respectively) compared with those viewing > 2 hours/day (38.6%, P = .0058; and 15.1%, P = .0291, respectively). There was no difference in SB across TV viewing categories.
Conclusion:
Time spent in MVPA and the frequency of meeting MVPA guidelines were significantly higher among children viewing ≤ 2 hours/day of TV on weekdays compared with those viewing more.
Ferrari (gersonferrari08@yahoo.com.br), Araujo, and Matsudo are with the Center for Physical Fitness Laboratory Studies of São Caetano do Sul (CELAFISCS), São Paulo, Brazil. Oliveira is with Atividade Fisica, Center for Physical Fitness Laboratory Studies of São Caetano do Sul (CELAFISCS), São Paulo, Brazil. Mire, Barreira, and Katzmarzyk are with the Dept of Population Science; and Tudor-Locke is with the Walking Behavior Laboratory; Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA.
© 2023 Human Kinetics