title: Levels of physical activity and sedentary time among 10- to 12-year-old boys and girls across 5 European countries using accelerometers: an observational study within the ENERGY-project.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The study aim was to objectively assess levels of sedentary time, light, moderate and vigorous physical activity (PA) among 10-12 year olds across five European countries and to examine differences in sedentary time and PA according to gender and country.
  
  
  METHODS
  686 children (mean age = 11.6 ± 0.8 years, 53% girls, mean BMI = 19.0 ± 3.4 kg/m(2)) from Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands and Switzerland wore Actigraph accelerometers and had at least 2 weekdays with minimum 10 h-wearing time and 1 weekend day with minimum 8 h-wearing time. Data were analyzed using multivariate analyses of covariance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Girls spent significantly more time sedentary (500 minutes/day) than boys (474 minutes/day) and significantly less time in light (267 minutes/day) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (32 minutes/day) than boys (284 minutes/day; 43 minutes/day respectively; p < 0.001). 4.6% of the girls and 16.8% of the boys met moderate-to-vigorous PA recommendations of at least 60 minutes/day. Greek boys were more sedentary (510 minutes/day; all at p < 0.05) than other boys. Dutch girls were less sedentary (457 minutes/day; all at p < 0.05) than other girls. Swiss girls displayed more moderate-to-vigorous PA (43 minutes/day; at p < 0.05) than other girls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Large proportions of children across different European countries did not meet PA recommendations and spent a lot of time sedentary. Mean time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA was significantly lower than the recommended 60 minutes. Obesity prevention programmes focusing on both decreasing sedentary time and increasing light, moderate and vigorous PA are needed for European children, particularly girls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. maite.verloigne@ugent.be
authors.forename: Maïté
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verloigne
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Van Lippevelde
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: Mine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yıldırım
authors.forename: Mai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chinapaw
authors.forename: Yannis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Manios
authors.forename: Odysseas
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Androutsos
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kovács
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bringolf-Isler
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brug
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: De Bourdeaudhuij
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry; D001530:Belgium; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009426:Netherlands; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012737:Sex Factors; D013557:Switzerland