Examining associations between physical activity context and children meeting daily physical activity guidelines: The role of outdoor play, sports, and other organized activities

Abstract

Abstract Background Less than one-quarter of US children meet physical activity (PA) guidelines. Understanding the context in which PA occurs and how these contexts may play a role in meeting PA guidelines is an essential step toward developing effective behavioral interventions. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between PA context (sports participation and other out-of-school structured physical activities, active travel to school, and outdoor play), and the number of days children met PA guidelines in a representative sample of children living in Texas. Methods We analyzed cross-sectional data from a statewide sample of 4th grade children in Texas (mean age = 9.4 ± 0.6 years; female = 48.7%, 51.8% Hispanic), who completed the 2019–2020 Texas School Physical Activity and Nutrition (TX SPAN) survey. The TX SPAN survey was designed to monitor the statewide prevalence of overweight/obesity among school children, and assess habitual self-reported obesity-related behaviors, including diet and PA. Weighted Poisson regression models were employed to examine the associations between PA contexts (sports participation and other out-of-school structured physical activities, active travel to school, and outdoor play) and the number of days children met PA guidelines, adjusting for sex, race/ethnicity, overweight/obesity, urban-rural status, and economic disadvantage. Results Children met PA guidelines on 3.6 ± 2.3 days during the week. One in ten (11.2%) 4th grade children did not meet daily PA guidelines on any day of the week, while 72.1% met them between 1–6 days, and 16.7% met physical activity guidelines every day during the week. Participating in any structured PA (b = 0.31, 95%CI:0.20,0.42) was significantly and positively associated with the number of days children met PA guidelines. Playing outdoors 1–3 days (b = 0.26, 95%CI:0.04, 0.47) and 4–7 days in the past week (b = 0.79, 95%CI:0.59, 1.00) was significantly and positively associated with the number of days children met PA guidelines. Conclusion Participating in organized sports, participating in other structured PA, and playing outdoors may beneficially influence the number of days children meet PA guidelines. PA programs should consider these contextual factors and investigate how to promote organized activities and outdoor play effectively and appropriately among children.