Child, family and household characteristics associated with physical activity in Samoan children aged 3–8 years: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Physical activity is a key component of many obesity prevention strategies. The aim of this analysis was to identify child, family, and household characteristics associated with parent-reported physical activity in Samoan children aged 3–8 years. Children (n = 445; 51.2% female, mean age 5.4 years) were part of an ongoing, mixed-longitudinal study of child growth, development, and wellbeing (the Ola Tuputupua’e cohort). Bivariate analyses and multivariate generalized linear regressions were conducted to investigate the relationship of child, family, and household characteristics with physical activity level, measured using the Netherlands Physical Activity Questionnaire (NPAQ). Children were classified as being ‘highly active’ if they had NPAQ scores in the 75th percentile or above. Among the n = 111 children classified as ‘highly active’, n = 67 (60.4%) were boys. After adjusting for child, family, and household-level characteristics, hours of child sleep per night was the only variable significantly associated with odds of being highly active. Compared to children who slept less than 9 hours at night, those who slept 10–10.99 hours (OR: 5.97, 95% CI: 2.14–18.13) and 11+ hours (OR: 25.75, 95% CI: 8.14–90.12) had higher odds of being ‘highly active’. Future research should examine the mechanisms driving the relationship between nighttime sleep and physical activity among Samoan children. Intervening on sleep duration and quality may improve physical activity and, in turn, obesity risk in this setting.