S12-2 Age and Gender Differences in Physical Activity Patterns among Urban School Children in Korea and China

Physical activity in childhood is important as it may establish behavior in adulthood. However, studies of physical activity in children are limited, especially for Asian children. Detailed anthropometric measurements were made of 159 school children (two grades：10-11 and 13-14 years old) from urban...

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Published inJournal of PHYSIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY Vol. 26; no. 2; pp. 281 - 282
Main Authors Taro YAMAUCHI, Soo-Nam KIM, Zhongfan Lu, Naoto ICHIMARU, Ryuichi MAEKAWA, Kazumi NATSUHARA, Ryutaro OHTSUKA, Huan ZHOU, Shintaro YOKOYAMA, Wenquan YU, Minxue HE, She-Hwan KIM, Masaru ISHII
Format Journal Article
LanguageJapanese
Published Japan Society of Physiological Anthropology 2007
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Summary:Physical activity in childhood is important as it may establish behavior in adulthood. However, studies of physical activity in children are limited, especially for Asian children. Detailed anthropometric measurements were made of 159 school children (two grades：10-11 and 13-14 years old) from urban areas in Korean (n = 79) and China (n = 80). Total daily (TEE) and activity-related (AEE) energy expenditures were estimated for seven consecutive days using an accelerometer. Mean height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) for boys and girls in both countries exceeded the US national reference median (CDC, 2000). Physical activity levels (PALs) were significantly higher in the younger grade (10-11 years old) and in girls than in boys for both grades. No significant difference in PALs or daily step-counts (STPs) was observed between ‘normal’ and ‘overweight’ subgroups based on BMI, although negative correlations were found between weight, BMI, or %body fat vs. PAL or STP among Korean girls and Chinese boys (r = 0.32-0.38, p< 0.05, respectively). Daily variation in physical activity was observed in both countries. In the Koreans (boys and girls, two grades pooled), TEE, AEE, and STP were significantly lower than the seven-day average on Sundays, whereas for the Chinese population AEE and STP were significantly higher on Sundays. In summary, PALs were higher in young boys and girls than in older children；interestingly, girls tended to have higher PALs than boys. Daily variation in physical activity was observed in Korea and China, although the tendency in the two countries was opposite.
ISSN:1880-6791