A study on active commuting and physical activity before school and weight status of year 6 children

Abstract

During the last 20 years obesity rates in European countries have increased at an alarming rate and according to recent reports Malta is standing as one of the most obese populations amongst other European countries. Maltese children show to have the highest percentage of excess bodyweight. Physical activity is an integral part of a healthy life. In this research project, 208 year six students (mean age- 10.7) were taken for study to find the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and physical activity levels prior school hours as well as the mode of transport chosen to get to school. Self-report questionnaires were used together with accelerometery to measure physical activity levels and duration. Accelerometers were worn for five days (three weekdays and two weekends) to compare weekdays and weekends. Breakfast was also calculated during both weekdays and weekends. Height and weight were measured to calculate their Body Mass Index (BMI) (kg/m2) and to classify children into different weight categories using the International Obesity Taskforce standards. Physical activity data was analysed by gender, weight status and school type using T-tests and One Way ANOVA tests. Chi-Square tests were used for percentage differences. Mean BMI was found to be 19.8 kg/m2 and 20.7% of children were overweight and 13.9% obese. It was found that there were more boys with excessive weight (25.5% overweight and 15.9% obese) than girls (17.5% overweight and 12.7% obese).The mean volume of activity before school was calculated to 443.33 counts per minute (cpm), while children engaged in 9.66 minutes of light activity and only 4.90 minutes of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA). Morning mean MVPA was calculated to contribute 7.4% of daily MVPA, thus, harder effort must be made in order to increase PA time particularly before school, mainly for children who arrive early at school, and also to introduce other initiatives like the Walking Bus in all local state schools. A significant association was found between physical activity and transport to school (p<0.01) and walking provided the highest total volume of activity (568.78 cpm) and MVPA (6.34 min). Gender differences in mode of transport to school were significant, showing boys were more engaged in active commuting than girls. Only 20.6% of students met the recommended needs of 60 minutes of MVPA a day.