Physical activity versus screen time - what factors influence the behavior of 7th to 9th grade adolescents? [09.03.20]
The proportion of physical activity among adolescents shifts with increasing age to sedentary behavior and more screen time, the latter including the use of cell phones, reading devices (e.g. Kindle) and PC's. Prof. Ströbele Benschop is part of a consortium that analysed the physical activity and screen time of Berlin students from grades 7 to 9 and found that not all young people follow this trend. Which individual factors are responsible for their behavior and how prevention programs can benefit from the results can be read in a recent paper published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Picture Source: Pixabay
Krist, L.aEmail Author, Roll, S.aEmail Author, Stroebele-Benschop, N.bEmail Author, Rieckmann, N.cEmail Author, Müller-Nordhorn, J.cEmail Author, Bürger, C.aEmail Author, Willich, S.N.aEmail Author, Müller-Riemenschneider, F.d,e,f (2020) Determinants of physical activity and screen time trajectories in 7th to 9th grade adolescents—A longitudinal studyEmail Auth.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume 17, Issue 4, 2 February 2020
aInstitute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, 10117, Germany
bInstitute of Nutritional Medicine, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, 70599, Germany
cInstitute of Public Health, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, 10117, Germany
dBerlin Institute of Health (BIH), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, 10178, Germany
eSaw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117549, Singapore
fYong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117597, Singapore
Abstract
Physical activity (PA) in youth tends to decline with increasing age, while sedentary behaviour including screen time (ST) increases. There are adolescents, however, whose PA and ST do not follow this pattern. The aim of this study is (i) to examine trajectories in PA and ST from grade 7–9 among students in Berlin, and (ii) to investigate the relationship of these trajectories with individual factors and school type. For the present analyses, changes in students’ PA and ST across three time points from 7th to 9th grade were assessed via self-report questionnaires. Positive and negative trajectories were defined for both PA (positive: increasing or consistently high, negative: decreasing or consistently low) and ST (vice versa). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify possible predictors of PA and ST trajectories. In total, 2122 students were included (50.2% girls, mean age 12.5 (standard deviation 0.7) years). Compared to grade 7, less students of grade 9 fulfilled PA and ST recommendations (PA: 9.4% vs. 13.2%; ST: 19.4% vs. 25.0%). The positive PA trajectory included 44% of all students (63% boys), while the positive ST trajectory included 21% of all students (30% boys). Being a boy was significantly associated with a positive PA trajectory, while being a girl, having a high socioeconomic status, and attending a high school, were significantly associated with a positive ST trajectory. Different PA and ST trajectories among adolescents should be taken into account when implementing prevention programs for this target group.
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
More information about the research of Prof. Ströbele-Benschop you'll find at the website of the Department of Applied Nutritional Psychology.
