Segmented Physical Activity Patterns of Native American Children

An overwhelming amount of evidence exists to support a positive contribution of PA to the health and well being of young people (Strong et al., 2005). Developing a physically active lifestyle is especially important for Native American children, who are at a greater risk for hypokinetic diseases, particularly Type 2 diabetes (Kriska et al., 2003). When compared to an age and gender-matched reference population at ages 5 and 10, Native American children were heavier with a higher percentage of body fat (Salbe et al., 2002). Research studies investigating the PA patterns of Native American children have primarily used questionnaires, interviews, and other self-report data. Thus, investigations of PA levels using objective means are warranted. Purpose: To describe the pedometer-determined segmented PA levels of Native American children. Methods: Participants included fifth and sixth grade children (N = 77) attending school from one Southwestern US Native American community. All children were of Native American descent (primarily of two tribal affiliations) and had a BMI (measured using a digital scale and stadiometer) of 25.1 (± 6.5). Children wore a pedometer (Yamax Digiwalker SW-200) for five consecutive school days and were prompted to record their steps before and after Physical Education, lunchtime recess, and at the beginning and end of school. Analysis/Results: Boys accumulated 12,621 (± 5,385) steps/day and girls accumulated 11,640 (± 3,695) steps/day of which 38% (4,779 ± 1,271) and 35% (4,027 ± 1,285) were accumulated at school for boys and girls, respectively. Physical Education provided the single largest source of (PA) for boys and girls. Nearly 25% (3,117 steps) of the daily (PA) of boys and 23% (2,638) of girls came from Physical Education classes. Lunchtime recess provided an additional 1,612 (13%) and 1,241 (11%) steps/day for boys and girls, respectively. Conclusions: An accurate understanding of the PA levels and patterns of Native children is essential for designing and implementing school-based PA interventions. This study was the first to explore the 24-hour pedometer-determined PA patterns of Native American children and the contributions of various PA segments to their overall PA level. This study highlights the important contribution of school Physical Education to the overall PA accumulation of children living in Native American communities. When compared to previous segmented PA studies (Tudor-Locke et al., 2006 (9% boys, 11% girls); Brusseau et al., in progress (13% boys, 14% girls) Physical Education had a much larger impact on the overall PA of these children.