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 ) .
A Ballroom Dance Classroom Program Promotes Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity in Elementary School Children
Purpose . To determine if an existing ballroom dance classroom program meets national recommendations to engage children in moderate to vigorous physical activity ( MVPA ) for ≥ 50 % of class time and to determine class effects on body mass index ( BMI ) . Design . Prospect i ve descriptive study . Setting . Two New York City public schools . Participants . Seventy-nine fourth and fifth grade students . Measurements . The System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time ( SOFIT ) and direct heart rate monitoring were used to determine participants ' MVPA levels during class time . Weight and height were measured to calculate BMI . Analysis . Means were calculated for continuous variables ; frequency counts and percentages were calculated for categorical variables . Change in BMI percentiles was assessed by using Bhapkar 's χ2 test of overall marginal homogeneity . Results . Data from SOFIT observations showed that a mean of 50.0 % and 67.0 % of class time in the first and second halves of the program , respectively , were spent in MVPA . Data from the heart rate monitoring revealed that 71.1 % of students were at ≥ 25 % heart rate reserve , which indicated MVPA for ≥ 50 % of class time . Improvement was seen in BMI percentile ( p = .051 ) . Conclusion . Ballroom dance provides MVPA in elementary school children for ≥ 50 % of class time and has a positive impact on BMI percentiles
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 ) .