A Summary of One Research Team's Contributions to Understanding Physical Activity Behavior in Children and Youth

Abstract

Schools are well-positioned to provide physical activity opportunities to help youth achieve the recommended 60 or more daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The Children's Physical Activity Research Group (CPARG) at the University of South Carolina has focused on understanding physical activity in school-aged youth for 30+ years. The purpose of this article was to critically review (CPARG) contributions to the field in school settings and school-age youth. We reviewed 127 published CPARG articles from six research projects conducted between 1993-2019. The review was guided by questions in five categories: measurement of physical activity and its determinants, characteristics of physical activity behavior, correlates/determinants of physical activity, physical activity interventions, and race/ethnicity and physical activity. Results were summarized by question and synthesized across categories. CPARG contributions included assessing physical activity levels, patterns, forms, and contexts; identifying and measuring physical activity correlates/determinants; and conducting school-based physical activity interventions. Identifying multiple domains of physical activity determinants enables researchers and practitioners to select/design age-appropriate, valid, and reliable instruments to assess determinants. Focusing on determinants enables them to create effective physical activity interventions, environments, programs, and policies in schools. These efforts must address race/ethnicity differences, ensuring that measurement instruments and intervention strategies are culturally appropriate.

Keywords: adolescents; children; physical activity; physical activity determinants; physical activity measurement; race/ethnicity and physical activity; school-based physical activity interventions; young children.

Figure 1

CPARG Publications by Category of Analysis. * 15 papers were drawn from the other four categories (10 duplicate & 5 unique to Race/Ethnicity); ** This subset of papers consists of studies that were longitudinal, included multiple domains of influences, and/or were reports of primary study aims (i.e., focused on determinants versus correlates).