Differences in physical activity levels between urban and rural school children in Cyprus
Differences in physical activity levels between urban and rural school children in Cyprus
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DOI：
10.1093/her/cyg014
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发表时间：
2004-04-01
影响因子：
2.4
通讯作者：
Bennett, N
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Loucaides, CA;Chedzoy, SM;Bennett, N
本研究旨在探讨城乡小学生体育活动水平的差异。样本包括256名希族塞人儿童和他们的父母从两所学校代表城市地区和三所学校代表农村地区。儿童的活动水平进行了评估，在冬季4个工作日和夏季4个工作日使用计步器（DW-200;雅马哈，东京，日本）。每日步数被用来描述儿童的活动水平。父母完成了一份调查问卷，评估两个季节的环境变量。双因素方差分析表明，城市儿童在冬季的活动量显著高于农村儿童（平均值= 13 583 +/- 4313对比12 436 +/- 3610，农村学校的孩子在夏天更活跃（平均值= 16 450 +/- 5134对14 531 +/- 4901，P < 0.001）。农村学校儿童的家长报告说，与城市学校儿童的家长相比，他们在花园和社区拥有更多的空间，社区也更安全，而城市学校的儿童家中有更多的运动器材，并更经常地被送到他们可以进行体育活动的地方。这项研究的结果表明，促进身体活动的干预方案需要考虑身体活动水平的季节和地理位置差异。
This study attempted to examine differences in physical activity levels between urban and rural primary school children. The sample consisted of 256 Greek-Cypriot children and their parents from two schools representing urban areas and three schools representing rural areas. Children's activity levels were assessed for 4 weekdays in the winter and for 4 weekdays in the summer using a pedometer (DW-200; Yamax, Tokyo, Japan). Daily step counts were used to describe children's activity levels. Parents completed a questionnaire assessing environmental variables in both seasons. Two-way ANOVAs indicated that urban school children were significantly more active in winter than rural school children (means = 13 583 +/- 4313 versus 12 436 +/- 3610, P < 0.001) and that rural school children were significantly more active in the summer (means = 16 450 +/- 5134 versus 14 531 +/- 4901, P < 0.001). Parents of children in rural schools reported more space available in the garden and in the neighbourhoods, and safer neighbourhoods than parents of children in urban schools, whereas children in urban schools had more exercise equipment available at home and were transported more frequently to places where they could be physically active. Results of this study suggest that intervention programmes to promote physical activity need to consider seasonal and geographical location differences in physical activity levels.