Physical activity of Chinese children and adolescents:age, gender and regional characteristics / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To explore age, gender, and regional differences in physical activity among children and adolescents in China, and to provide a scientific reference for enhancing physical activity promotion.@*Methods@#A total of 4 269 children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 years were selected from six administrative regions of China (East China, Northwest China, North China, Central China, Southwest China and South China) using a stratified random cluster sampling method from September to December 2018. A questionnaire was administered to evaluate the physical activity level of Chinese children and adolescents aged 7 to 18.@*Results@#The overall detection rate of MVPA insufficiency in children and adolescents in China was 53.8%, of which the detection rate of MVPA insufficiency was 50.8% among boys and 57.1% among girls. Gender differences were statistically significant ( χ 2= 17.10 , P <0.05). Among the different age groups, the lowest detection rate of MVPA among 10-12 year olds was 43.6%, whereas the highest rate among 16-18 year olds was 63.0%, with significant differences between gender ( χ 2=4.33, 30.79, P <0.05). The P 50 values of total physical activity(TPA), light intensity physical activity(LPA), moderate intensity physical activity(MPA), vigorous intensity physical activity(VPA), moderate to vigorous physical activity(MVPA) were 92.9,24.3,41.4,7.1 and 55.7 min/d , respectively. The P 50 values of physical exercise, housework activities, entertainment activities and transportation activities were 34.3 , 2.1, 2.3 and 30.0 min/d, respectively, and the difference in age groups was statistically significant( H =95.03, 74.99, 300.26 , 64.16, P <0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in the detection rate of insufficient MVPA among children and adolescents in different regions ( χ 2=83.91, P <0.05). The lowest rate was 44.0% in North China, and the highest was 65.9% in East China.@*Conclusion@#The detection rate of MVPA insufficiency among Chinese children and adolescents firstly decreased and then increased with age. Boys participated in higher levels of physical activity than girls.