Department of Sport Science, University of Konstanz, Constance 1078457, Germany.
BMC Public Health. 2012 Aug 30;12:714. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-714.
Regular physical activity (PA) is a prerequisite for normal growth and maturation, health, and fitness of children and adolescents. Because of the growing evidence of the health benefits of regular PA, several national and international public health organisations have established PA guidelines. The purpose of this study was to assess the percentage of children and adolescents in Germany who meet the PA guideline of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA each day and to evaluate socio-demographic correlates of compliance with the PA guideline.
The sample consists of 4,529 children and adolescents aged between 4 and 17 years who lived and were registered in the Federal Republic of Germany between 2003 and 2006. The compliance with the PA guideline was assessed using a widely accepted screening measure. Socioeconomic status, immigration background and residential area were assessed using a parent questionnaire.
Overall, 13.1% of girls and 17.4% of boys complied with the national guideline of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA daily. While compliance was significantly lower in older participants of both gender groups, the steepest decrease in compliance was observed for age groups around the transition time from primary to secondary school. Logistic regression revealed that socioeconomic status and a migration background were significant predictors for compliance in girls and residential area for compliance in boys.
Programs and policy action addressing the problem of decreasing compliance with PA guideline with increasing age are warranted. The transition from primary school to secondary school seems to be a critical stage in life with respect to PA behaviour. Therefore, specific interventions should aim at restructuring and reorganising their daily and physical activities during this transition.
有规律的身体活动（PA）是儿童和青少年正常生长发育、健康和体能的前提。由于有越来越多的证据表明有规律的 PA 对健康有益，一些国家和国际公共卫生组织已经制定了 PA 指南。本研究的目的是评估德国儿童和青少年中有多少人符合每天进行 60 分钟中等至剧烈 PA 的 PA 指南，并评估遵守 PA 指南的社会人口学相关性。
该样本由居住在联邦德国的 4529 名 4 至 17 岁的儿童和青少年组成，他们于 2003 年至 2006 年期间在德国登记。使用广泛接受的筛查措施评估 PA 指南的遵守情况。使用家长问卷评估社会经济地位、移民背景和居住区域。
总体而言，13.1%的女孩和 17.4%的男孩符合每天 60 分钟中等至剧烈 PA 的国家指南。虽然在两性群体的年龄较大的参与者中，遵守情况明显较低，但在从小学到中学过渡时期的年龄组中，遵守情况的下降最为陡峭。逻辑回归显示，社会经济地位和移民背景是女孩遵守情况的显著预测因素，而居住区域是男孩遵守情况的显著预测因素。
需要制定针对年龄增长导致遵守 PA 指南率下降问题的计划和政策行动。从小学到中学的过渡似乎是 PA 行为的一个关键阶段。因此，具体干预措施应旨在调整和重组他们在这一过渡期间的日常和体育活动。
