Accelerometer-assessed physical activity and sedentary time at school for children with disabilities: Seasonal variation

Cindy H.P. Sit*, Wendy Y J HUANG, Jane J. Yu, Thomas L. McKenzie

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Schools are salient locations for children with disabilities to accrue physical activity (PA) and to diminish sedentary time (ST). We examined seasonal variation in accelerometer-assessed PA and ST among children with disabilities during the school day in three school settings (physical education (PE) lessons, recess and lunchtime). Children (n = 270) from 13 special schools for those with five disability types (visual impairments, hearing impairments, physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities (ID), and social development problems) participated. Their PA and ST were assessed during three winter and three summer school days using accelerometry. Linear mixed models were performed to determine seasonal variation in the proportion of time they spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and ST in the three settings. On average, the children spent 4.5% (18.6 min) and 4.0% (15.6 min) in MVPA at school during winter and summer days, respectively. They were more physically active during winter (especially during recess and lunchtime), but there were no seasonal differences for ST. Thus, children’s year-round engagement in PA needs to be promoted, especially during summer.

Original languageEnglish
Article number3163
JournalInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume16
Issue number17
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2019

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

User-Defined Keywords

  • Adolescents
  • Children
  • Physical activity
  • Physical education
  • Schools
  • Seasons
  • Sedentary time

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Accelerometer-assessed physical activity and sedentary time at school for children with disabilities: Seasonal variation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this