Assessing physical activity in South African children living in disadvantaged settings: Implications for cardiovascular health
In a recent publication, researchers from the KaziBantu project compared two commonly used methods for evaluating physical activity levels in children living in Gqeberha, South Africa, shedding light on their connection to cardiometabolic risk factors.
The article by Arnaiz et al. published in the South African Journal of Science examined the concordance between self-reported and accelerometer-measured physical activity levels in school-aged children. Additionally, it explored how these assessment methods varied in predicting adiposity, blood pressure, lipids, and sugar levels among these young individuals.
The authors found that although 65% of the children met the World Health Organization’s recommended minimum of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day, they were sedentary for 64% of their day. A gender disparity emerged, whereby boys demonstrated considerably higher activity levels, with 82% meeting physical activity recommendations, compared to only 47% of girls.
Importantly, the two assessment methods were weakly associated and inconsistent in detecting relationships with cardiovascular risk markers. Specifically, accelerometer-measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was inversely correlated with body mass index, while sedentary time displayed a positive association with blood lipid levels. Self-reported physical activity however was linked to systolic blood pressure. The research was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Novartis Foundation.
The authors concluded that selecting a method for evaluating physical activity should extend beyond practical considerations, especially in lower-income settings. The implications of these findings underscore the importance of considering the relationship between assessment methods and cardiovascular risk in making informed decisions about children's health.
For more details:
Arnaiz, P., Guntlisbergen, F., Infanger, D., Gerber, M., Adams, L., Dolley, D., Joubert, N., Nienaber, M., Nqweniso, S., du Randt, R., Steinmann, P., Utzinger, J., Walter, C., Pühse, U., & Müller, I. (2023). Association of accelerometry-based and self-reported physical activity with cardiovascular risk in South African children. South African Journal of Science, 119 (9/10). https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2023/15494