title: Sedentary versus active leisure activities and their relationship with sleeping habits and body mass index in children of 9 and 10 years of age.
abstract: A random sample of 291 9- and 10-year-old schoolchildren from Asturias (Spain) was taken. Using path analysis, a model was tested in which bedtime, the number of hours spent sleeping and leisure activities were the independent variables and the body mass index was the dependent variable. The results show that sedentary and active leisure time and hours spent sleeping are predictors of the body mass index in children. Those children who go to bed late and who use that extra time to watch the television or play with the computer tend to have a greater body mass index, while those children who go to bed earlier and have spent more time reading or playing in the park or at home have a lower body mass index. Encouraging active leisure activities can have an extremely positive effect on their body mass index.
authors.affiliation: University of Oviedo, Spain amigo@uniovi.es.
authors.forename: Isaac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Amigo
authors.affiliation: University of Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peña
authors.affiliation: University of Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Errasti
authors.affiliation: University of Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Busto
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012890:Sleep; D013030:Spain
keywords: active leisure; childhood body mass index; sedentary leisure; sleep