title: Sedentary behaviors in fifth-grade boys and girls: where, with whom, and why?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An understanding of the context surrounding screen- and non-screen-based sedentary behavior would facilitate efforts to reduce children's overall sedentary behavior. This study examined the prevalence of specific types of sedentary behavior in children, the social and physical contexts surrounding these behaviors, and differences by gender.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants included 686 fifth graders participating in the Transitions and Activity Changes in Kids Study (TRACK). The Physical Activity Choices instrument measured child participation in seven sedentary behaviors, the social (i.e., with whom) and physical (i.e., where) contexts, and perceptions (i.e., why) of those behaviors. Analysis included mixed-model regression adjusted for race/ethnicity, BMI, and socioeconomic status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children participated in both screen- and non-screen-based sedentary behaviors at very high frequencies. The most popular activities included watching television or videos, listening to music, playing video games (boys only), and talking on the phone or texting (girls only). Children engaged in sedentary behaviors most often at home, at school, or in their neighborhood. In general, the patterns of social context for the behaviors were similar for boys and girls, with the exception of video game playing. Girls perceived listening to music and talking on the phone or texting to be more fun than boys; children did not differ in their other perceptions (i.e., how much choice or how important) of the behaviors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multi-level interventions that target reducing sedentary behavior in the home, neighborhood, and school context may be most effective; however, the approach needed will likely differ by gender.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina , Columbia, SC.
authors.forename: Sharon E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Taverno Ross
authors.forename: Wonwoo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Byun
authors.forename: Marsha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dowda
authors.forename: Kerry L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: McIver
authors.forename: Ruth P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Russell R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Pate
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009146:Music; D015995:Prevalence; D012574:Schools; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012737:Sex Factors; D013022:South Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013690:Television; D060145:Text Messaging; D013997:Time Factors; D018910:Video Games