Children's Physical Activity and Nutritional Status and Perceptions of Lifestyle

Background/Purpose: The need for lifestyle education is increasing as a result of childhood obesity and accompanying health complications (Agron et al., 2010), and school environments hold great potential as settings of lifestyle interventions through enhancement of physical activity (PA) and nutrition education (Mendoza et al., 2011; Siega-Riz et al., 2011). The combination of regular PA and well-balanced nutritional intake (NI) has been attributed to a healthy lifestyle and can be altered or changed to improve child and adult health. Analysis of these two variables can help to identify ways in which they can be improved, and it may be possible that a correlation is present between those who follow PA and NI guidelines (Siega-Riz et al., 2011). Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to employ Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1994) to assess PA, NI, and weight status, along with children’s perceptions of their lifestyle habits. 

Method: A mixed-methods approach using a 3-day time frame to assess PA, NI, weight status, and a qualitative interview to assess knowledge and attitudes of these factors was undertaken with a sample (n=30) of fifth grade children. Participants were given accelerometers, PA and food diaries to self-report their lifestyle habits; and weight, height and waist circumference measurements were taken to obtain weight status. 

Analysis/Results: Data were analyzed using Pearson product moment correlations and linear regression to assess association and potential linear relationships. Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted to develop themes from interviews. Results showed mixed findings that reflect the divergent evidence base between those who have high daily PA and those who meet recommendations for diet. Correlations between PA and nutrition variables revealed insignificant findings; however BMI, energy intake (EI) and waist to height ratio (WHTR) were significantly related. While participants stated that fruits and vegetables were part of a healthy diet, the majority did not consume more than one or two servings per day. Interview data indicated that children often do not have positive influences or reliable sources of information from which to gain information about lifestyle and expressed lack of both teacher and parent awareness. 

Conclusions: Teachers and parents heavily influence children in regards to lifestyle choices. Although educating children’s role models may help ameliorate children’s inappropriate behaviors regarding physical activity and nutrition, enforcing teacher’s responsibility to incorporate health education into the curriculum may prove to be particularly effective. More research in this area is warranted and intervention studies should be considered.