A Count Model to Study the Correlates of 60 Min of Daily Physical Activity in Portuguese Children

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Alessandra Borges²  Thayse Natacha Gomes²  Daniel Santos²  Sara Pereira²  Fernanda K. dos Santos²  Raquel Chaves³  Peter T. Katzmarzyk¹  José Maia² 

[1] Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA; E-Mail:;CIFI²D, Faculty of Sports, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Plácido Costa, 91, 4250-Porto, Portugal; E-Mails:;Physical Education Department, Federal University of Technology-Parana, Campus Curitiba, Curitiba/PR, 3165—Rebouças CEP 80230-901, Brazil; E-Mail:

关键词: physical activity;    children;    ISCOLE;    MVPA;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph120302557

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

This study aimed to present data on Portuguese children (aged 9–11 years) complying with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) guidelines, and to identify the importance of correlates from multiple domains associated with meeting the guidelines. Physical activity (PA) was objectively assessed by accelerometry throughout seven days on 777 children. A count model using Poisson regression was used to identify the best set of correlates that predicts the variability in meeting the guidelines. Only 3.1% of children met the recommended daily 60 min of MVPA for all seven days of the week. Further, the Cochrane–Armitage chi-square test indicated a linear and negative trend (p < 0.001) from none to all seven days of children complying with the guidelines. The count model explained 22% of the variance in meeting MVPA guidelines daily. Being a girl, having a higher BMI, belonging to families with higher income, sleeping more and taking greater time walking from home to a sporting venue significantly reduced the probability of meeting daily recommended MVPA across the seven days. Furthermore, compared to girls, increasing sleep time in boys increased their chances of compliance with the MVPA recommendations. These results reinforce the relevance of considering different covariates’ roles on PA compliance when designing efficient intervention strategies to promote healthy and active lifestyles in children.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.