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. 2021 Feb 10;18(1):28.
doi: 10.1186/s12966-021-01095-x.

Children's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on weekdays versus weekend days: a multi-country analysis

Keith Brazendale  1 , Michael W Beets  2 , Bridget Armstrong  2 , R Glenn Weaver  2 , Ethan T Hunt  2 , Russell R Pate  2 , Timothy A Brusseau  3 , Amy M Bohnert  4 , Timothy Olds  5 , Rafael M Tassitano  6 , Maria Cecilia M Tenorio  6 , Jeanette Garcia  7 , Lars B Andersen  8 , Rachel Davey  9 , Pedro C Hallal  10 , Russell Jago  11 , Elin Kolle  12 , Susi Kriemler  13 , Peter L Kristensen  14 , Soyang Kwon  15 , Jardena J Puder  16 , Jo Salmon  17 , Luis B Sardinha  18 , Esther M F van Sluijs  19 ; International Children’s Accelerometry Database (ICAD) Collaborators
Collaborators, Affiliations

Children's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on weekdays versus weekend days: a multi-country analysis

Keith Brazendale et al. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. .

Abstract

Purpose: The Structured Days Hypothesis (SDH) posits that children's behaviors associated with obesity - such as physical activity - are more favorable on days that contain more 'structure' (i.e., a pre-planned, segmented, and adult-supervised environment) such as school weekdays, compared to days with less structure, such as weekend days. The purpose of this study was to compare children's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels on weekdays versus weekend days using a large, multi-country, accelerometer-measured physical activity dataset.

Methods: Data were received from the International Children's Accelerometer Database (ICAD) July 2019. The ICAD inclusion criteria for a valid day of wear, only non-intervention data (e.g., baseline intervention data), children with at least 1 weekday and 1 weekend day, and ICAD studies with data collected exclusively during school months, were included for analyses. Mixed effects models accounting for the nested nature of the data (i.e., days within children) assessed MVPA minutes per day (min/day MVPA) differences between weekdays and weekend days by region/country, adjusted for age, sex, and total wear time. Separate meta-analytical models explored differences by age and country/region for sex and child weight-status.

Results/findings: Valid data from 15 studies representing 5794 children (61% female, 10.7 ± 2.1 yrs., 24% with overweight/obesity) and 35,263 days of valid accelerometer data from 5 distinct countries/regions were used. Boys and girls accumulated 12.6 min/day (95% CI: 9.0, 16.2) and 9.4 min/day (95% CI: 7.2, 11.6) more MVPA on weekdays versus weekend days, respectively. Children from mainland Europe had the largest differences (17.1 min/day more MVPA on weekdays versus weekend days, 95% CI: 15.3, 19.0) compared to the other countries/regions. Children who were classified as overweight/obese or normal weight/underweight accumulated 9.5 min/day (95% CI: 6.9, 12.2) and 10.9 min/day (95% CI: 8.3, 13.5) of additional MVPA on weekdays versus weekend days, respectively.

Conclusions: Children from multiple countries/regions accumulated significantly more MVPA on weekdays versus weekend days during school months. This finding aligns with the SDH and warrants future intervention studies to prioritize less-structured days, such as weekend days, and to consider providing opportunities for all children to access additional opportunities to be active.

Keywords: Accelerometer; Children; Physical activity; Structure; Weekday; Weekend.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mean differences in MVPA on weekdays versus weekend days of (a) Boys and (b) Girls
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mean differences in MVPA on weekdays versus weekend days of children who are (a) Overweight/Obese (OWOB) and (b) Normal weight/Underweight (NW/UW)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Children’s mean moderate-to-vigorous physical activity by day of the week. Shaded area represents weekend
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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