title: Regional differences of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in Swiss children are not explained by socio-demographics or the built environment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated whether regional differences in physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) existed along language boundaries within Switzerland and whether potential differences would be explained by socio-demographics or environmental characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  We combined data of 611 children aged 4 to 7 years from four regional studies. PA and SB were assessed by accelerometers. Information about the socio-demographic background was obtained by questionnaires. Objective neighbourhood attributes could be linked to home addresses. Multivariate regression models were used to test associations between PA and SB and socio-demographic characteristics and neighbourhood attributes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children from the German compared to the French-speaking region were more physically active and less sedentary (by 10-15 %, p < 0.01). Although German-speaking children lived in a more favourable environment and a higher socioeconomic neighbourhood (differences p < 0.001), these characteristics did not explain the differences in PA behaviour between French and German speaking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Factors related to the language region, which might be culturally rooted were among the strongest correlates of PA and SB among Swiss children, independent of individual, social and environmental factors.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, P.O. Box 4002, Basel, Switzerland, bettina.bringolf@unibas.ch.
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bringolf-Isler
authors.forename: Urs
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Mäder
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dössegger
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.forename: Jardena J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Puder
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Braun-Fahrländer
authors.forename: Susi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kriemler
mesh_terms: D061725:Accelerometry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003469:Culture; D004777:Environment; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057185:Sedentary Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology