Development of core recommendations on physical activity for Chinese students aged 7-18 years based on Delphi method and analytic hierarchy process / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To construct core information about physical activities of Chinese students aged 7-18 years, so as to provide a reference for impoving the level of adolescents physical activities.@*Methods@#Canadian 24 Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth was used as a framework, the preliminary core recommendations on physical activity for Chinese students aged 7-18 years were developed based on qualitative research. Recommendations covered three scales, including physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep. Physical activity included four subscales of frequency, intensity, duration and type, while sedentary behaviour and sleep only included one subscale. Three rounds of consultation were conducted using Delphi method. In the second round of consultation, the results of 2014 Chinese National Surveys on Students Constitution and Health were presented to experts for reference. In the third round of consultation, experts need to rank the importance of seven items of physical fitness under the physical activity type subscale by age group through analytic hierarchy process.@*Results@#Totally 25, 25, and 18 experts were consulted in three rounds respectively. The questionnaire response rates in 3 rounds were 100.0%, 100.0%, and 94.4%, respectively. The authority coefficients were 0.92, 0.93, and 0.91. The harmony coefficients were 0.63( χ 2=237.10, P <0.01), 0.63( χ 2= 242.60 , P <0.01), and 0.76( χ 2=97.05, P <0.01). It was recommended that students aged 7 to 18 years in China should do moderate to vigorous physical activity for a cumulative total of at least 60 minutes per day, and most of the 60 minutes or more per day should be either moderate or vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity. Of the daily physical activity, students should conduct vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity, muscle strengthening and bone strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days a week. At least 2 hours of daytime outdoor activity was recommended for primary school students and 1 hour for secondary school students. 7-12 year old students should do more physical activities that enhance flexibility, coordination and agility, while 13-18 year old students should do more physical activities that enhance strength, endurance and speed. Sedentary behaviour included one subscale, where students should reduce sedentary behaviour, break up long periods of sitting as often as possible, and limit recreational screen time and online study time. Sleep included one subscale of duration.Students should get sufficient and uninterrupted sleep per night.@*Conclusion@#The development of core recommendations on physical activity for Chinese students aged 7 to 18 might help improve physical activity levels and promote health of children and adolescents.