Accelerometry-assessed daily physical activity and compliance with recommendations in Spanish children: importance of physical education classes and vigorous intensity

Abstract

Background: Physical activity (PA) is associated with numerous health benefits. Vigorous PA (VPA) may have a greater impact on public health than lower-intensity PA. The incorporation of a specific recommendation on VPA could complement and improve existing recommendations for average daily moderate-vigorous PA (MVPA). Physical education classes could have a positive impact on children's adherence to average daily physical activity recommendations. The aim was to investigate the association between MVPA and VPA in children, as well as adherence to recommendations, and obesity and the presence of physical education classes.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of physical activity was conducted in a sample of 8 and 9-year-old children in Andalusia (Spain). GENEActiv accelerometers were used, placed on the non-dominant wrist for at least eight consecutive days (24-h protocol). School days with and without physical education class, and weekend days were defined. ROC curves were used to calculate the threshold associated with obesity for average daily MVPA and VPA for recommendations.

Results: A total of 360 schoolchildren were included in the analyses (184 girls). An average of 7.7 (SD 1.4) valid days per participant were evaluated, with 19.9 (SD 10.5) and 11.4 (SD 5.1) minutes of VPA performed by boys and girls respectively. 25.8% of the participants were classified with central obesity. The optimal threshold determined with ROC analysis was 12.5 and 9.5 minutes of average daily VPA for boys and girls, respectively (RecVPA), and 75 minutes of average daily MVPA for both sexes (RecMVPA). The RecVPA showed stronger association with obesity. On school days with physical education class, compared to days without this class, children showed increased VPA and MVPA engagement and better compliance with recommendations, with smaller differences in adherence according to sex or obesity.

Conclusions: On days with physical education class, more physical activity was accumulated at all intensities and greater adherence to the recommendations than on days without this class. VPA had a stronger correlation with the absence of obesity than lower-intensity activity. It was also observed that boys were physically more active and had higher adherence to the recommendations than girls.

Keywords: Children; Guidelines; Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; Obesity; Overweight; Physical activity; Physical education classes; Recommendations; Sex differences; Vigorous physical activity.

Figure 1. Flowchart of participants’ physical activity evaluation.

Figure 2. OR and 95% CI for children who met the recommendations on school days without physical education clases (PEC, reference), to meet them on school days with PEC and on the weekend, by sex and central obesity.

MVPA, moderate-vigorous physical activity; VPA, vigorous physical activity; RecMVPA-WHO, MVPA (mean) > 60 min/day; RecMVPA, MVPA (mean) > 75 min/day; RecVPA, VPA (mean) > 2.5 min/day in boys and >9.5 min/day in girls; PEC, physical education class.