title: Household-level correlates of children's physical activity levels in and across 12 countries.
abstract: Household factors (electronic media equipment, play equipment, physical activity in the home, and social support) have been associated with childhood moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA), but little is known about how these factors differ across diverse countries. The objective was to explore household correlates of objective MVPA in children from 12 countries.
  
  
  
  Overall, 5,859 nine- to eleven-year-old children from 12 countries representing a range of human and socioeconomic development indicators wore an accelerometer for 7 days and parents reported on household factors. Multilevel general linear models explored associations among household factors and MVPA variables controlling for age, sex, and parental education.
  
  
  
  Across sites, children with at least one piece of bedroom electronic media had lower MVPA (∼4 min/day; P < 0.001) than those who did not. More frequent physical activity in the home and yard, ownership of more frequently used play equipment, and higher social support for physical activity were associated with more MVPA (all P < 0.001). The association between play equipment ownership and MVPA was inconsistent across countries (interaction P < 0.01).
  
  
  
  With the exception of play equipment ownership, modifiable household factors showed largely consistent and important associations with MVPA across high-, mid-, and low-income countries.
authors: Diabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK. dh204@le.ac.uk.
authors: Deirdre M
authors: DM
authors: Harrington
authors: Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
authors: Fiona
authors: F
authors: Gillison
authors: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
authors: Stephanie T
authors: ST
authors: Broyles
authors: Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
authors: Jean-Philippe
authors: JP
authors: Chaput
authors: Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors: Mikael
authors: M
authors: Fogelholm
authors: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
authors: Gang
authors: G
authors: Hu
authors: St. Johns Research Institute, Bangalore, India.
authors: Rebecca
authors: R
authors: Kuriyan
authors: St. Johns Research Institute, Bangalore, India.
authors: Anura
authors: A
authors: Kurpad
authors: Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
authors: Allana G
authors: AG
authors: LeBlanc
authors: Alliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
authors: Carol
authors: C
authors: Maher
authors: CIFI2D, Faculdade de Desporto, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors: Jose
authors: J
authors: Maia
authors: Center of Studies from the Physical Fitness Research Laboratory, São Caetano do Sul, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors: Victor
authors: V
authors: Matsudo
authors: Alliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
authors: Timothy
authors: T
authors: Olds
authors: Department of Recreation Management and Exercise Science, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors: Vincent
authors: V
authors: Onywera
authors: School of Medicine, Universidad De Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia.
authors: Olga L
authors: OL
authors: Sarmiento
authors: Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
authors: Martyn
authors: M
authors: Standage
authors: Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
authors: Mark S
authors: MS
authors: Tremblay
authors: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.|Department of Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, USA.
authors: Catrine
authors: C
authors: Tudor-Locke
authors: Tianjin Women's and Children's Health Center, Tianjin, China.
authors: Pei
authors: P
authors: Zhao
authors: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
authors: Peter T
authors: PT
authors: Katzmarzyk
mesh_terms: D061725:Accelerometry; D002648:Child; D004581:Electronics; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors