Associations between participation in organised physical activity in the school or community outside school hours and neighbourhood play with child physical activity and sedentary time: a cross-sectional analysis of primary school-aged children from the UK

Objectives

To assess the extent to which participation in organised physical activity in the school or community outside school hours and neighbourhood play was associated with children's physical activity and sedentary time.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

Children were recruited from 47 state-funded primary schools in South West England.

Participants

1223 children aged 8–9 years old.

Outcome measures

Accelerometer-assessed moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time.

Methods

Children wore an accelerometer, and the mean minutes of MVPA and sedentary time per day were derived. Children reported their attendance at organised physical activity in the school or community outside school hours and neighbourhood play using a piloted questionnaire. Cross-sectional linear and logistic regression were used to examine if attendance frequency at each setting (and all settings combined) was associated with MVPA and sedentary time. Multiple imputation methods were used to account for missing data and increase sample size.

Results

Children who attended clubs at school 3–4 days per week obtained an average of 7.58 (95% CI 2.7 to 12.4) more minutes of MVPA per day than children who never attended. Participation in the three other non-school-based activities was similarly associated with MVPA. Evidence for associations with sedentary time was generally weaker. Associations were similar in girls and boys. When the four different contexts were combined, each additional one to two activities participated in per week increased participants' odds (OR: 1.18, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.25) of meeting the government recommendations for 60 min of MVPA per day.

Conclusion

Participating in organised physical activity at school and in the community is associated with greater physical activity and reduced sedentary time among both boys and girls. All four types of activity contribute to overall physical activity, which provides parents with a range of settings in which to help their child be active.

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