Overall , total PA was favourably associated with physical , psychological/social , and cognitive health indicators .
Relationships were more consistent and robust for higher ( e.g. , MVPA ) versus lower ( e.g. , LPA ) intensity PA .
All patterns of activity ( sporadic , bouts , continuous ) provided benefit .
LPA was favourably associated with cardiometabolic biomarkers ; data were scarce for other outcomes .
These findings continue to support the importance of at least 60 min/day of MVPA for disease prevention and health promotion in children and youth , but also highlight the potential benefits of LPA and total PA .
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ( MVPA ) is essential for disease prevention and health promotion .
Emerging evidence suggests other intensities of physical activity ( PA ) , including light-intensity activity ( LPA ) , may also be important , but there has been no rigorous evaluation of the evidence .
The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the relationships between objective ly measured PA ( total and all intensities ) and health indicators in school-aged children and youth .
Online data bases were search ed for peer- review ed studies that met the a priori inclusion criteria : population ( apparently healthy , aged 5 - 17 years ) , intervention/exposure/comparator ( volumes , duration s , frequencies , intensities , and patterns of objective ly measured PA ) , and outcome ( body composition , cardiometabolic biomarkers , physical fitness , behavioural conduct/pro-social behaviour , cognition/academic achievement , quality of life/well-being , harms , bone health , motor skill development , psychological distress , self-esteem ) .
Improving the fitness and physical activity levels of primary school children: results of the Fit-4-Fun group randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of a multi-component school-based physical activity intervention ( Fit-4-Fun ) on health-related fitness and objective ly measured physical activity in primary school children . METHODS Four Hunter primary schools were recruited in April , 2011 and r and omized by school into treatment or control conditions . Participants included 213 children ( mean age = 10.72 years ± 0.6 ; 52.2 % female ) with the treatment group ( n = 118 ) completing the 8-week Fit-4-Fun Program . Participants were assessed at baseline and 6-month follow-up , with a 91 % retention rate . Cardio-respiratory fitness ( CRF ) ( 20 m shuttle run ) was the primary outcome , and secondary outcomes included body composition ( BMI , BMI ( Z ) ) , muscular fitness ( 7-stage sit-up test , push-up test , basketball throw test , St and ing Jump ) , flexibility ( sit and reach ) and physical activity ( 7 days pedometry ) . RESULTS After 6-months , significant treatment effects were found for CRF ( adjusted mean difference , 1.14 levels , p < 0.001 ) , body composition ( BMI mean , -0.96 kg/m(2 ) , p < 0.001 and BMI z-score mean -0.47 z-scores , p < 0.001 ) , flexibility ( sit and reach mean , 1.52 cm , p = 0.0013 ) , muscular fitness ( sit-ups ) ( mean 0.62 stages , p = 0.003 ) and physical activity ( mean , 3253 steps/day , p < 0.001 ) . There were no group by time effects for the other muscular fitness measures . CONCLUSIONS A primary school-based intervention focusing on fitness education significantly improved health-related fitness and physical activity levels in children
Overall , total PA was favourably associated with physical , psychological/social , and cognitive health indicators .
Relationships were more consistent and robust for higher ( e.g. , MVPA ) versus lower ( e.g. , LPA ) intensity PA .
All patterns of activity ( sporadic , bouts , continuous ) provided benefit .
LPA was favourably associated with cardiometabolic biomarkers ; data were scarce for other outcomes .
These findings continue to support the importance of at least 60 min/day of MVPA for disease prevention and health promotion in children and youth , but also highlight the potential benefits of LPA and total PA .
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ( MVPA ) is essential for disease prevention and health promotion .
Emerging evidence suggests other intensities of physical activity ( PA ) , including light-intensity activity ( LPA ) , may also be important , but there has been no rigorous evaluation of the evidence .
The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the relationships between objective ly measured PA ( total and all intensities ) and health indicators in school-aged children and youth .
Online data bases were search ed for peer- review ed studies that met the a priori inclusion criteria : population ( apparently healthy , aged 5 - 17 years ) , intervention/exposure/comparator ( volumes , duration s , frequencies , intensities , and patterns of objective ly measured PA ) , and outcome ( body composition , cardiometabolic biomarkers , physical fitness , behavioural conduct/pro-social behaviour , cognition/academic achievement , quality of life/well-being , harms , bone health , motor skill development , psychological distress , self-esteem ) .