Physical activity patterns in normal-weight adolescents on week-days and week-ends.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to assess the day-to-day variability of children's physical activity by accelerometer on week-days and week-end days, and to determine the proportion of children that comply with the established physical activity (PA) guidelines.


METHODS
Physical activity was recorded every minute by uniaxial accelerometer in 104 normal-weight adolescent students (64 boys and 40 girls) for up to two different weeks (in winter and spring) and over seven consecutive days each week. We examined the difference in minutes for each gender and for the intensity of physical activity over the days of the week. The study took place in the north-east of Spain in 2009.


RESULTS
Gender was found to produce the most significant results. Boys engaged in more moderate, vigorous and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) than girls. Children accumulated more physical activity on week-days than on week-end days. Adolescents' PA is mainly derived from their engagement in light activities. The majority of the adolescents did not reach the recommended ≥60 minutes of MVPA.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that Spanish adolescents engage in limited amounts of MVPA on week-days and week-ends, with activity levels differing according to sex and day of the week. Given that less activity is accumulated at the week-end, especially amongst girls, the out-of-school environment should be the focus for more activity.
University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. generelo@unizar.es
E
E
Generelo
J
J
Zaragoza
J A
JA
Julián
A
A
Abarca-Sos
B
B
Murillo
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain; D013997:Time Factors