TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2024//
TI  - Differences in elementary-age children's accelerometer - measured physical activity between school and summer: three-year findings from the What's UP (Undermining Prevention) with summer observational cohort study
JO  - International journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity
A1  - Beets, Michael W.
A1  - Burkart, Sarah
A1  - Pfledderer, Christopher
A1  - Adams, Elizabeth
A1  - Weaver, R. Glenn
A1  - Armstrong, Bridget
A1  - Brazendale, Keith
A1  - Zhu, Xuanxuan
A1  - McLain, Alexander
A1  - Turner-McGrievy, Brie
A1  - Pate, Russell
A1  - Kaczynski, Andrew
A1  - Fairchild, Amanda
A1  - Saelens, Brian
A1  - Parker, Hannah
SP  - e86
EP  - e86
VL  - 21
IS  - 1
N2  - BACKGROUND: Among elementary-aged children (5-12yrs), summer vacation is associated with accelerated gains in Body Mass Index (BMI). A key behavioral driver of BMI gain is a lack of physical activity (PA). Previous studies indicate PA decreases during summer, compared to the school year but whether this difference is consistent among boys and girls, across age, and by income status remains unclear. This study examined differences in school and summer movement behaviors in a diverse cohort of children across three years. <br><br>METHODS: Children (N = 1,203, age range 5-14 years, 48% girls) wore wrist-placed accelerometers for a 14-day wear-period during school (April/May) and summer (July) in 2021 to 2023, for a total of 6 timepoints. Mixed-effects models examined changes in school vs. summer movement behaviors (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA], sedentary) for boys and girls, separately, and by age and household income groups (low, middle, and upper based on income-to-poverty ratio). <br><br>RESULTS: Children provided a total of 35,435 valid days of accelerometry. Overall, boys (+ 9.1 min/day, 95CI 8.1 to 10.2) and girls (+ 6.2 min/day, 95CI 5.4 to 7.0) accumulated more MVPA during school compared to summer. Boys accumulated less time sedentary (-9.9 min/day, 95CI -13.0 to -6.9) during school, while there was no difference in sedentary time (-2.7 min/day, 95CI -5.7 to 0.4) for girls. Different patterns emerged across ages and income groups. Accumulation of MVPA was consistently greater during school compared to summer across ages and income groups. Generally, the difference between school and summer widened with increasing age, except for girls from middle-income households. Accumulation of sedentary time was higher during school for younger children (5-9yrs), whereas for older children (10-14yrs), sedentary time was greater during summer for the middle- and upper-income groups. For boys from low-income households and girls from middle-income households, sedentary time was consistently greater during summer compared to school across ages. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Children are less active and more sedentary during summer compared to school, which may contribute to accelerated BMI gain. However, this differs by biological sex, age, and income. These findings highlight the complex factors influencing movement behaviors between school and summer.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1479-5868
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12966-024-01637-z
ID  - ref1
ER  -