Many children and adolescents spend the majority of their time sitting in classroom and doing sedentary leisure time activity outside schools (NASPE & AHA, 2012). These sedentary behaviors and physical inactivities are closely related to major causes and high rate of disease including obesity. Accordingly, health and physical educators have emphasized the importance of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for health promotion and physically active lifestyle. Despite numerous studies on factors associated with children’s physical activities (Sallis, Prochaska, & Taylor, 2000), little research investigated the trajectory of MVPA level and relevant/influential factors during childhood. This study aimed to examine MVPA trajectory from kindergarten through fifth-grade students and its relationship to gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES).
Method:
This research used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Class of 1998. Sample data (N = 19,209) were drawn from the base year (spring Kindergarten), third follow-up (spring third grade), and fourth follow-up (spring fifth grade). Latent construct of students’ MVPA level at each time point was created using four variables.
Analysis/Results:
Second-order latent growth model was used to estimate growth trajectory of MVPA level and then trajectory was regressed on students’ gender, race/ethnicity, and SES. Results showed that students’ MVPA level significantly decreased from kindergarten through fifth grade. White students had higher initial MVPA level than Hispanic (t = -3.54, p < .001) and Asian students (t = -4.11, p < .001) with similar initial MVPA level to Black students. High-SES students displayed higher initial MVPA level than their counterparts (t = 2.043, p = 0.041). No gender differences were found in initial MVPA level at kindergarten. For MVPA trajectory, Black (t = -4.683, p < .001) and Asian (t = -2.891, p = 0.004) students experienced a greater decrease in MVPA level than White students with no difference in decreasing rate between Hispanic and White students. Low-SES students experienced a greater decline in MVPA level than high-SES students (t = 4.703, p < 0.001). No gender differences were found in decreasing rate of MVPA level.
Conclusions:
MVPA level decreased from kindergarten through fifth-grade students and decreasing rate was greater among minority students than among White students. Also, decreasing rate was greater among low-SES students than among high-SES students. This apparent disparity in MVPA level across race/ethnicity and SES is significant in enhancing physical activity programs, particularly physical education for all, to increase children’s MVPA level.