Sedentary behaviors in fifth-grade boys and girls: where, with whom, and why?

BACKGROUND: An understanding of the context surrounding screen- and non-screen-based sedentary behavior would facilitate efforts to reduce children's overall sedentary behavior. This study examined the prevalence of specific types of sedentary behavior in children, the social and physical contexts surrounding these behaviors, and differences by gender.

METHODS: Participants included 686 fifth graders participating in the Transitions and Activity Changes in Kids Study (TRACK). The Physical Activity Choices instrument measured child participation in seven sedentary behaviors, the social (i.e., with whom) and physical (i.e., where) contexts, and perceptions (i.e., why) of those behaviors. Analysis included mixed-model regression adjusted for race/ethnicity, BMI, and socioeconomic status.

RESULTS: Children participated in both screen- and non-screen-based sedentary behaviors at very high frequencies. The most popular activities included watching television or videos, listening to music, playing video games (boys only), and talking on the phone or texting (girls only). Children engaged in sedentary behaviors most often at home, at school, or in their neighborhood. In general, the patterns of social context for the behaviors were similar for boys and girls, with the exception of video game playing. Girls perceived listening to music and talking on the phone or texting to be more fun than boys; children did not differ in their other perceptions (i.e., how much choice or how important) of the behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS: Multi-level interventions that target reducing sedentary behavior in the home, neighborhood, and school context may be most effective; however, the approach needed will likely differ by gender.