V. Mogre
Department of Human Biology, University for Development Studies, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, P.O. Box TL 1883, Tamale, Ghana
E.S. Aneyire
Department of Community Nutrition, University for Development Studies, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, P.O. Box TL 1883, Tamale, Ghana
E.K. Gyamfi
Department of Community Nutrition, University for Development Studies, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, P.O. Box TL 1883, Tamale, Ghana
ABSTRACT
Diet and physical activity are principal determinants of nutritional status and energy balance. Low physical activity has been shown to be one of the risk factors for development of obesity in children. One's physical activity as a child is a predictor of physical activity level as an adult. This study was aimed at describing the type, frequency and duration of physical activity and their association to BMI-for-age status of school-age children in Tamale. In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 400 school-age children was selected from randomly selected schools in Tamale, Ghana. The physical activity questionnaire for children (PAQ-C) was used to assess physical activity levels. Anthropometric measurements of age, weight and height were measured and computed to determine the adiposity status of the children. More than 80% of the studied children engaged in moderate to heavy type of physical activity. By frequency, 88.3% of boys and 75% of girls participated in a physical activity at least 2 times a week. During leisure times, more boys than girls played football and more girls than boys watched television. A significant proportion of the children engaged in heavy type of physical activity with increase in age. An overweight/obesity prevalence of 8.5% was found. A large proportion of the children reported being in the moderate to heavy type of physical activity. Type, frequency and duration of physical activity were associated to age. A double burden (overweight vs. underweight) of malnutrition was found.
PDF References Citation
How to cite this article
V. Mogre, E.S. Aneyire and E.K. Gyamfi, 2013. Physical Activity and BMI Status of School-Age Children in Tamale, Northern
Ghana. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition, 12: 484-490.
DOI: 10.3923/pjn.2013.484.490
URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=pjn.2013.484.490
DOI: 10.3923/pjn.2013.484.490
URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=pjn.2013.484.490
REFERENCES
- Al-Nakeeb, Y., M.J. Duncan, M. Lyons and L. Woodfield, 2007. Body fatness and physical activity levels of young children. Ann. Hum. Biol., 34: 1-12.
PubMedDirect Link - Anderson, R.E., C.J. Crespo and S.J. Bartlett, 1998. Relationship of physical activity and television watching with body weight and level if fatness among children; results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. J. Am. Med. Assoc., 279: 938-942.
CrossRef - Armstrong, N. and S. Bray, 1991. Physical activity patterns defined by continuous heart rate monitoring. Arch. Dis. Childhood, 66: 245-247.
PubMedDirect Link - Caspersen, C.J., M.A. Pereira and K.M. Curran, 2000. Changes in physical activity patterns in the United States, by sex and cross-sectional age. Med. Sci. Sports Exercise, 32: 1601-1609.
PubMedDirect Link - Cole, T.J., M.C. Bellizzi, K.M. Flegal and W.H. Dietz, 2000. Establishing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide: International survey. Br. Med. J., 320: 1240-1243.
CrossRefPubMedDirect Link - Dennison, B.A., J.H. Straus, E.D. Mellits and E. Charney, 1988. Childhood physical fitness tests: Predictor of adult physical activity levels? Pediatrics, 82: 324-330.
PubMedDirect Link - Ebbeling, C.B., D.B. Pawlak and D.S. Ludwig, 2002. Childhood obesity: Public-health crisis, common sense cure. Lancet, 360: 473-482.
CrossRefPubMedDirect Link - Federico, B., L. Falese and G. Capelli, 2009. Socio-economic inequalities in physical activity practice among Italian children and adolescents: A cross-sectional study. J. Public Health, 17: 377-384.
CrossRefPubMedDirect Link - Feldman, D.E., T. Barnett, I. Shrier, M. Rossignol and L. Abenhaim, 2003. Is physical activity differentially associated with different types of sedentary pursuits? Arch. Pediatr. Adolesc. Med., 157: 797-802.
PubMedDirect Link - Haerens, L., B. Deforche, L. Maes, G. Cardon and I. De Bourdeaudhuij, 2007. Physical activity and endurance in normal weight versus overweight boys and girls. J. Sports Med. Phys. Fitness, 47: 344-350.
PubMedDirect Link - Hernandez, B., S.L. Gortmaker, G.A. Colditz, K.E. Peterson, N.M. Laird and S. Parra-Cabrera, 1999. Association of obesity with physical activity, television programs and other forms of video viewing among children in Mexico city. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord., 23: 845-854.
PubMedDirect Link - Hussey, J., J. Gormley and C. Bell, 2001. Physical activity in Dublin children aged 7-9 years. Br. J. Sports Med., 35: 268-272.
PubMed - Kain, J., R. Uauy, F. Vio and C. Albala, 2002. Trends in overweight and obesity prevalence in Chilean children: Comparison of three definitions. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr., 56: 200-204.
CrossRefPubMedDirect Link - Kann, L., S.A. Kinchen, B.I. Williams, J.G. Ross and R. Lowry et al., 2000. Youth risk behavior surveillance--United States, 1999. MMWR CDC Surveill. Summ., 49: 1-32.
PubMedDirect Link - Kong, A.P., K.C. Choi, A.M. Li, S.S. Hui and M.H. Chan et al., 2010. Association between physical activity and cardiovascular risk in Chinese youth independent of age and pubertal stage. BMC Public Health, Vol. 10.
CrossRef - Lazarou, C. and E.S. Soteriades, 2010. Children's physical activity, TV watching and obesity in Cyprus: The CYKIDS study. Eur. J. Public Health, 20: 70-77.
PubMed - Lobstein, T., L. Baur and R. Uauy, 2004. Obesity in children and young people: A crisis in public health. Obes. Rev., 5: 4-85.
CrossRefDirect Link - Moreira, P., S. Santos, P. Padrao, T. Cordeiro and M. Bessa et al., 2010. Food patterns according to sociodemographics, physical activity, sleeping and obesity in Portuguese children. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 7: 1121-1138.
CrossRefDirect Link - Olivares, S., J. Kain, L. Lera, F. Pizarro, F. Vio and C. Moron, 2004. Nutritional status, food consumption and physical activity among Chilean school children: A descriptive study. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr., 58: 1278-1285.
PubMedDirect Link - Schmidt, G.J., J.J. Walkuski and D.J. Stensel, 1998. The Singapore youth coronary risk and physical activity study. Med. Sci. Sports Exercise, 30: 105-113.
PubMedDirect Link - Senbanjo, I.O. and K.A. Oshikoya, 2010. Physical activity and body mass index of school children and adolescents in Abeokuta, Southwest Nigeria. World J. Pediatr., 6: 217-222.
CrossRefPubMedDirect Link - Sherar, L.B., D.W. Esliger, A.D. Baxter-Jones and M.S. Tremblay, 2007. Age and gender differences in youth physical activity: Does physical maturity matter? Med. Sci. Sports Exercise, 39: 830-835.
PubMedDirect Link - Trost, S.G., L.M. Kerr, D.S. Ward and R.R. Pate, 2001. Physical activity and determinants of physical activity in obese and non-obese children. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord., 25: 822-829.
PubMedDirect Link - Trost, S.G., R.R. Pate, J.F. Sallis, P.S. Freedson, W.C. Taylor, M. Dowda and J. Sirard, 2002. Age and gender differences in objectively measured physical activity in youth. Med. Sci. Sports Exercise, 34: 350-355.
PubMedDirect Link - Tudor-Locke, C., B.E. Ainsworth, L.S. Adair and B.M. Popkin, 2003. Physical activity in Filipino youth: The Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord., 27: 181-190.
PubMedDirect Link - Uauy, R., C. Albala and J. Kain, 2001. Obesity trends in Latin America: Transiting from under- to overweight. J. Nutr., 131: 893S-899S.
PubMedDirect Link