Prevalence and Trends of Physical Activity in Thai Children and Young People: Pooled Panel Data Analysis from Thailand’s Surveillance on Physical Activity 2012–2020

Abstract

This study aims to describe the level and trends of physical activity (PA) in Thai children and young people and examine PA changes during transitional periods. Employing nine rounds of Thailand’s Surveillance on Physical Activity (SPA) 2012–2020, this study pooled three sets of data and included children and young people aged 6–17 years in the analysis: 1595 in SPA2012–2016, 1287 in SPA2017–2019, and 853 persons in SPA2020. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in five regions, 13 provinces, and 36 villages in SPA2012–2019, whereas an online survey was administered in all provinces in SPA2020. The prevalence of sufficient moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) among Thais aged 6–17 years ranged from 19.0 percent to 27.6 percent, with a significant drop during the period of COVID-19 spread in 2020. The average daily MVPA ranged from 46 to 57 min and dropped to 36 min during the pandemic. Boys were consistently more active than girls in all nine rounds of the SPA, and girls had more difficulty in maintaining or improving their PA level. A significant increase in the proportion of Thai children and young people with sufficient MVPA was observed during their transition from late primary to early secondary school grades.