Relating outdoor play to sedentary behavior and physical activity in youth - results from a cohort study

BMC Public Health

Claudio R. Nigg¹  Steffen C. E. Schmidt²  Carina Nigg²  Claudia Niessner²  Doris Oriwol²  Alexander Woll² 

[1] Institute of Sport Science, University of Bern, Bremgartenstrasse 145, 3012, Bern, Switzerland;Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engler-Bunte-Ring 15, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany;

关键词: Sedentary behavior;    Screen time;    Physical activity;    Outdoor play;    Cohort study;    Children;    Adolescents;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-021-11754-0

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundOutdoor play, sedentary behavior (SB), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) are related to youth’s health, however, there are research gaps regarding 1) associations between outdoor play, SB, and MVPA across a broad pediatric age range (6–17 years), and 2) longitudinal associations between outdoor play, SB, and MVPA across childhood and adolescence. Two studies were conducted to address those research gaps: Study 1 aimed to investigate relationships between outdoor play and accelerometer-assessed SB and MVPA in a cross-sectional nationwide sample of children and adolescents in Germany. Study 2 aimed to investigate prospective associations between outdoor play and self-reported screen-time SB and MVPA and in a sample of children with three measurement timepoints across 11 years.MethodsData were obtained of the German national representative Motorik-Modul (MoMo) Study and the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS). In Study 1, N = 2278 participants (6–17 years) were included with self-reported outdoor play and accelerometer-assessed SB and MVPA. Associations were examined via multiple linear regressions. In Study 2, N = 570 participants (baseline: 4–7 years) were included in the longitudinal analysis with follow-ups six and 11 years later. Screen-time SB (TV watching and PC/Gaming), MVPA, and outdoor play were self-reported. Associations were investigated through a path prediction model.ResultsStudy 1 showed that compared to <1 h outdoor play, higher engagement in daily outdoor play was related to lower SB (1-2 h: − 9.75 min/day, P = 0.017; ≥2 h: − 17.78 min/day, P < 0.001) and higher MVPA (≥2 h: + 3.87 min/day, P = 0.001). The cross-sectional relationship between MVPA and outdoor play was moderated by sex (in favor of males) and age (in favor of younger children). Study 2 showed that outdoor play in early childhood negatively predicted PC use/Gaming in later childhood, but was unrelated to MVPA.ConclusionIn Study 1, outdoor play was negatively related to SB cross-sectionally. In Study 2, outdoor play in early childhood was negatively related to PC and Gaming time in later childhood. Thus, providing outdoor play opportunities, especially during early childhood, has potential to prevent SB. Future research should investigate longitudinal relationships using device-based assessments for SB and MVPA.

【 授权许可】

CC BY