Elsevier

Public Health

Volume 160, July 2018, Pages 18-25
Public Health

Original Research
The level and pattern of physical activity among fifth-grade students in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2018.03.021Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Most students are insufficiently active.

  • More than a half of children are overweight or obese.

  • Students are more active at school, on physical education days, and on weekdays.

  • After-school physical activities were different between boys and girls.

  • After-school sedentary activities were popular for both genders.

Abstract

Objectives

Despite the benefits of physical activity (PA), a significant proportion of children do not meet physical activity guidelines (PAGs). However, most studies were among secondary-school–aged youth and relied on PA self-report. In addition, information regarding children's PA behaviors during specific segments of day/week is not usually collected. This study, therefore, investigated the level and pattern of PA among fifth-grade students in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam.

Study design

A complex cross-sectional survey was conducted on a representative sample of 619 fifth-grade students in eight public schools in urban areas of HCMC in 2016.

Methods

Demographic/anthropometric characteristics were measured using standard protocols. PA was measured using pedometers. After-school activities were measured using the Previous Day Physical Activity Recall questionnaire. Survey procedures with sampling weights were used for analyses.

Results

Approximately 18% of children met the PAG; 52.7% were overweight (OW)/obese (OB). On average, students recorded about 8800 steps/day. Boys were more active than girls at school and on weekdays. Students were more active at school on physical education (PE) days vs non-PE days and weekdays vs weekends. OW/OB students were more active at school on PE days. After-school PAs differed between boys and girls, whereas sedentary activities were popular among both the genders.

Conclusions

Most fifth-grade students had insufficient PA levels. Patterns of PA are different at various times during the day and week. The finding emphasized an urgent need for interventions to improve children's PA and obesity in this area.

Introduction

Physical activity (PA) is an important factor influencing health. In children, PA is associated with multiple health-related benefits, including cardio-metabolic, skeletal, muscular, and mental health.1, 2, 3 Despite the benefits, significant proportions of children/youth do not meet the physical activity guideline (PAG) of engaging in daily moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) for ≥60 min/day.2 The percentage of children meeting the PAG is 42% (6–11 years) in the USA,4 19% (5–17 years) in Australia,5 and 23% (11 years) in European countries.6

PA levels are also low among youth from low- to middle-income countries (LMICs). Data from the 34 LMICs indicated that on average, <25% of youth (13–15 years) met the PAG.7 Other studies showed that the percentages were 23.3% (aged 6–17 years) for Thailand8 and 66% (aged 13–17 years) for Dhaka city, Bangladesh.9 Although national data on children's PA are unavailable in Vietnam, the percentage of students (11–16 years) self-reporting to have ≥3 bouts of vigorous activity for ≥20 min/week or ≥5 bouts of moderate activities for ≥30 min/week in urban areas of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in 2004 was 75.7%.10 However, most studies were among secondary-school–aged youth (i.e. >11 years) and relied on PA self-report, with the exception of the USA data that used accelerometers. Therefore, there is a lack of population-based studies among primary-school–aged children measuring PA objectively.

Although it is important to have estimates of daily PA levels, there is also a need for information regarding children's PA behaviors during specific segments of the day/week which are not usually collected by public health surveillance systems.11 This information, if available, is critical, particularly for LMICs, in assisting policymakers to identify, plan, and allocate resources to areas with top priority. The information can also be used by schools to inform their revision or for the establishment of policies. This study, therefore, was conducted to investigate the level and pattern of PA among fifth-grade students in HCMC, Vietnam.

Section snippets

Study design and population

A cross-sectional survey using a two-stage stratified cluster sampling was conducted between January and September 2016. Public schools with more than two fifth-grade classes in urban areas of HCMC were eligible to participate. These schools were stratified into ‘nationally recognized schools’ and ‘not nationally recognized schools’ and then into ‘high socio-economic status (SES)’ and ‘low SES.’ National recognition is awarded to schools meeting criteria set by the Ministry of Education and

Results

Among 1235 students invited to participate, 757 consents were obtained generating a response rate of 61.3%. However, only 619 students (81.8%) with ≥3 weekdays and one weekend day of pedometer data were included in the analysis. Average students' age was 10.4 years ranging from 9.7 to 12.6 years. Although boys (52.8% of the sample) were not different from girls in age and height, they had higher weights and BMIs. More than half were classified as OW/OB. The prevalence of obesity was greater in

Discussion

The results showed that most fifth-grade students (82%) in urban schools in HCMC were not sufficiently active. Although it is difficult to compare the PA level among studies given discrepancies in methodologies and students' ages, students in HCMC have lower daily steps than those in studies conducted in the USA, Australia, and New Zealand.24, 25, 26, 27 The percentage of students meeting the PAG was also smaller than that in Australia (40%),28 the USA (42%),4 and Bangladesh (Dhaka city).9 The

Ethical approval

Written consent forms were obtained from the parents. Written approvals from the schools and the HCMC Department of Education and Training were also obtained. Ethical approval from Queensland University of Technology Human Research Ethics Committee was also obtained (1500000549).

Funding

None declared.

Competing interests

None declared.

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