Selected parameters characterizing physical activity behavior in pupils of the second grade of elementary school in the Ústí Region, Czech Republic

Abstract

Background: By the application of pedometers and subjective evaluation techniques, one can obtain information about the importance of physical activities (PA) in the lifestyles of adolescents. The conduct of PA in the Ústí Region, which is a structurally affected region within the Czech Republic, may be specifically impinged upon. Objective: The aim of this study is to establish indicators of adolescent participation in PA during school days and weekends and to evaluate them from the point of view of recommended criteria for health. We compare our findings with other studies and draw attention to the role of school movement programs. Methods: Physical activity was concurrently and objectively monitored by the Yamax SW-700 and SW-800 pedometer for a period of seven consecutive days. An identification and recording sheet were used for the registration of results. A total of 285 boys and 276 girls from elementary schools in the Ústí Region participated in the survey. Pedometers were applied during normal school attendance. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used to assess differences between days of the week in boys and girls. A daily step count (SC) was compared with the recommended criteria for health. The daily recommendation amounted to ≥ 13,000/11,000 SC for 12-year-old children and ≥ 10,000 SC for 13–15-year-old adolescents. Results: The daily SC values for boys were 10,702 ± 4,474, and for girls the lower 9,841 ± 3,722 ( p = .02, r = .10). Weekend days were accompanied by a decrease in values in boys compared to school days ( p ˂ .001, r = .20) and girls ( p ˂ .001, r = .17). 43.2% of boys and 35.9% of girls meet the recommended health criteria. PA participation time is higher in boys than in girls during school days ( p ˂ .001, r = .25) compared to ( p ˂ .001, r = .22). The importance of school movement programs becomes evident. Conclusions: Boys achieve higher daily values than girls in all monitored indicators. The lowest SC levels are those reached by the oldest group of adolescents during weekends.