Physical Activity Participation Among Children
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By: Carla Sottovia, Ph.D.
Inactivity among children has steadily increased. According to the Surgeon General’s Report (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996), only about one-half of America’s young people participate regularly in vigorous physical activity.
The report also indicates that participation of children in physical activity declines greatly as age or grade in school increases. It is our responsibility to promote and educate children about the benefits of being physically active throughout one’s lifetime. Further, it is crucial that physical activity be promoted in the home and community, and not just at school.Children should be involved in physical activity programs that emphasize exercise behaviors rather than outcomes. Parents and fitness professionals should be aware of factors that may enhance the promotion of physical activity in children and how they can be facilitated. Currently, there are several national organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1997) and the Council for Physical Education for Children (1998), that have provided guidelines on appropriate physical activity for children. The general consensus is that children should participate in moderately intense physical activity for 30 to 60 minutes on most days of the week.
Promotion of Physical Activity
Gregory Welk recently proposed a model of youth activity promotion to explain factors thought to influence physical activity in children. In brief, the model describes factors that are believed to predispose, enable, and reinforce activity behavior in children. For instance, predisposing factors first address the benefits versus the costs of participating in physical activity (i.e., is it worth it?). This question relates to the level of enjoyment a child may receive for participating in some form of body movement. Secondly, the model addresses perception of competence. A child may be more likely to participate in an activity if he/she feels capable of performing the activity (i.e., am I able?). Enabling factors are those that enable a child to be active including access to a facility, physical skills and aptitudes, fitness level, and again a child’s perception of his/her competence towards an activity. Finally, reinforcing factors are the variables that reinforce the child’s interest in participating in physical activity (i.e., parents, peers, and coaches). It has been suggested that at a young age, children should be taught a variety of activities and physical skills, which in turn will enable them to find activities they enjoy later in life. At the middle school level emphasis should be placed on mastering a specific skill and in high school emphasis should be placed on behavioral skills such as self-monitoring, self-reinforcement, and program planning (Pangrazi, Corbin, & Welk, 1996).
Characteristics of children that relate to physical activity
It is important to understand how children naturally behave as it relates to their participation in or lack of physical activity. In general, children are more active than adults. However, as age increases (specifically the teen years), there is a dramatic decline in physical activity participation. In addition, children have a relatively short attention span when compared to adults. Thus, it becomes difficult for a child to be involved and/or interested in activities of longer duration. They usually perform activities in short bursts of energy followed by longer periods of recovery.
Another important fact is that most basic motor skills are usually learned early in life. Hence, children who do not learn these skills are less likely to use them as an adult. Moreover, physical activity has the potential to track into adulthood (Malina, 1996; Pate, Baranowski, Dowda & Trost, 1996), which means children who are inactive are more likely to become inactive adults. Finally, children who have active parents are more likely to be active when compared to children of inactive parents.
Physical activity guidelines
According to several national organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1997) and the Council for Physical Education for Children (1998) the following guidelines have been recommended:
Children should accumulate at least 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity on all or most days of the week.
Children should participate in several activity sessions throughout the day lasting anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes at a moderate to vigorous intensity.
Children should participate in lifestyle activities including active play and games (e.g., climbing, tumbling, and jumping), which may involve large muscle groups. Other activities may include cycling, walking, jogging, running, swimming, and hiking among many others.
Summary
It is important to instill in children the importance of being physically active. As mentioned earlier, physical activity has the potential to track into adulthood. In light of this potential, it becomes crucial to identify at an early age the children who are inactive so successful behavior and intervention strategies can be established accordingly.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1997). “Guidelines for school and community health programs to promote physical activity among youth”. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Council for Physical Education for Children. (1998). Physical activity for children: A statement of guidelines. Reston, VA: NASPE.
Malina, R. (1996). “Tracking of physical activity and physical fitness across lifespan.” Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 67(3), 48-57.
Pangrazi, R., Corbin, C., & Welk, G. (1996). “Physical activity for children and youth.” Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 67(4), 38-43.
Pate, R., Baranowski, T., Dowda, M., & Trost, S. (1996). “Tracking of physical activity in young children.” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 28(1), 92-96.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1996). Physical Activity and Health: A report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
Welk, G. (1999). “The youth physical activity promotion model: A conceptual bridge between theory and practice.” Quest, 51, 5-23.
Carla Sottovia, Ph.D., is assistant fitness director and senior personal trainer at Cooper Fitness Center. Carla specializes in post-injury/preventive exercise intervention, cardiovascular and strength training, and marathon/triathlon training. If you are in the Dallas area, you can make a personal training appointment by calling 972-233-4832.
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