No differences in physical activity between children with overweight and children of normal-weight
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
No differences in physical activity between children with overweight and children of normal-weight Janneke van Leeuwen1* , Bart W. Koes1, Winifred D. Paulis2, Patrick J. E. Bindels1 and Marienke van Middelkoop1
Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in objectively measured physical activity and in self-reported physical activity between overweight and normal-weight children. Methods: Data from a prospective cohort study including children, presenting at the participating general practices in the south-west of the Netherlands, were used. Children (aged 4–15 years) were categorized as normal-weight or overweight using age- and sex specific cut-off points. They wore an ActiGraph accelerometer for one week to register physical activity, and filled out a diary for one week about physical activity. Results: A total of 57 children were included in this study. Overweight children spent significantly less percentage time per day in sedentary behavior (β − 1.68 (95%CI -3.129, − 0.07)). There were no significant differences in percentage time per day spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (β 0.33 (− 0.11, 0.78)). No significant differences were found between children of normal-weight and overweight in self-reported measures of physical activity. Conclusions: Overweight children are not less physically active than normal-weight children, which may be associated with the risen awareness towards overweight/obesity and with implemented interventions for children with overweight/obesity. Keywords: Physical activity, Overweight, Children
Background Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the twenty-first century, according to the World Health Organization [1]. It can, among other diseases, lead to pulmonary complaints, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases like hypertension [2]. Besides reducing sedentary time, and promoting a healthy diet, increasing physical activity is another strategy to address childhood obesity. Therefore, to fight the childhood obesity epidemic, and promote other health benefits, * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Department of General Practice, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Wytemaweg 80, P.O. Box 2040, 3000, CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
children are advised to be moderately to vigorously physically active for at least 60 min each day [1]. Previous literature states that children with overweight and obesity are less physically active than children of normal-weight based on objective data of accelerometers [3, 4]. However, these studies are conducted over 10 years ago, while since then several initiatives have been launched to reduce overweight and obesity. In the Netherlands (in 2010), the ‘covenant healthy weight’, promoting healthy lifestyle for children, was introduced [5]. The covenant healthy weight aimed to increase awareness on the health risks of overweight and obesity, and consequently decreas
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