Physical activity and screen time behaviour in metropolitan, regional and rural adolescents: A -sectional study of Australians aged 9–16 years

doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2011.05.011

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

Volume 15, Issue 1, January 2012, Pages 32-37

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2011.05.011 Get rights and content

Abstract

Objectives

While there is consistent evidence that rural adults in Australia are less active than their urban counterparts, studies relating geographical remoteness to activity patterns in Australian adolescents have yielded inconsistent results. The aim of this study was to describe objectively and subjectively measured patterns of physical activity and sedentary behaviours across remoteness categories in a representative sample of 9–16 year old Australians. Design: Cross-sectional observational study. Methods: 2071 Australian adolescents provided self-report use of time data on four days and wore a pedometer for at least 6 days within the 2007 Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey. Comparisons of activity patterns were made across four objectively-determined remoteness categories (Major City, Inner Regional, Outer Regional and Remote), adjusting for household income, parental education and age. Results: Adolescents living in major cities self-reported 11–29 min less moderate to vigorous physical activity each day than their counterparts living in geographically more remote areas, and took 150–850 fewer steps each day. While there were no differences in time spent in sport or active transport, differences in free play participation were significant. Males in major cities also reported higher levels of screen time. Differences were somewhat more marked among males than among females. Conclusions: Activity levels among Australian adolescents show contrasting patterns of geographical differences to those found in Australian adults. Higher levels of free play among rural Australian adolescents may be due to more available space and less fear of traffic and stranger risks.

Highlights

► Rural Australian adolescents are more active than their metropolitan counterparts. ► Metropolitan Australian males engage in more screen time than rural counterparts. ► Organised sport participation is similar among metropolitan and rural adolescents.

Introduction

Australia's Health, 2008¹ reveals that adults living in rural and remote areas of Australia have generally poorer health than their major city counterparts, reflected in higher levels of mortality, disease and health risk factors. Data from population health surveys consistently show that adults in rural and remote areas are more likely to engage in behaviours associated with poorer health, such as sedentariness.²

While there is convincing evidence of relatively poor health and health-related behaviours among rural Australian adults, little is known about the life stage when these disparities originate. The few state-based regional comparisons of children and adolescents present a somewhat scattered and confused picture, with the direction and extent of differences in physical activity and sedentary behaviours between urban and rural residents varying by season,³ participants’ sex3, 4 and how physical activity is represented.⁵ Moreover, previous studies of the impact of geographic location on physical activity and sedentary behaviours have used various definitions of rurality, and have largely failed to account for other salient sociodemographic factors that vary by region, such as socioeconomic position (SEP).⁶

A clear understanding of how geographic location is independently associated with physical activity and sedentary behaviours among young people will only be achieved with national datasets, compiled using rigorously tested instruments that measure behaviours in a range of forms and contexts (for instance, television as opposed to other screen-based activities, and organised sport as opposed to active transport and free play), and with a widely accepted definition of geographic location. The current study begins the process by analysing data from the Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, conducted between March and August 2007.⁷ The aim of the study was to examine the independent associations of remoteness from major cities, as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics,⁸ and the following variables among male and female Australians aged between 9 and 16 years:

1.
physical activity, represented by pedometer steps, and self-reported minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), differentiated into the domains of active transport, organised sport and free play.
2.
total screen time (television, videogames and computer use) and television time.

Section snippets

Methods

From March to August, 2007, 2071 Australians (9–16 years) were interviewed in their homes as part of the Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey.⁷ Clusters of postal code areas were randomly selected from around Australia, with the exception of very remote areas. Random-digit dialing was used to contact households within each cluster, and households with at least one person in the target age range were invited to participate. One person from each household was

Results

Table 1 shows the representations of demographic categories in the sample, according to remoteness category.

In general, adolescents living in major cities were less active than their more remote counterparts. Specifically, males living in major cities reported lower MVPA than those living in the other three ARIA categories (see Table 2). Females in major cities reported lower MVPA than those from inner regional and remote areas. Considering domains of physical activity, there were no

Discussion

This is the first Australia-wide survey to deliver both self-reported and objectively measured physical activity data on school age respondents, and it is evident from the findings that adolescents in major cities are less physically active than their regional counterparts. Specifically, regional differences in self-reported physical activity are almost entirely due to lower engagement in free play among major city residents compared with other ARIA+ categories. Males living in major cities

Conclusion

The finding that there were few differences in the physical activities and sedentary behaviours between rural and metropolitan children suggests that rural school age children are ‘buffered’ from the restrictions that apply to adult physical activity in rural communities. The main areas of difference, free play (males and females) and television viewing (males only) highlight the challenges of promoting free play opportunities for young people living in high density urban environments. The

Practical implications

•
Physical activity among adolescents appears to be more restricted in metropolitan compared with non-metropolitan areas.
•
Organised sport participation is independent of where adolescents live and should be vigorously promoted as a regular source of physical activity.
•
Metropolitan male adolescents are particularly vulnerable to high sedentary time and should be targeted for reduction in leisure-time screen use.

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing; the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; and by the Australian Food and Grocery Council.

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Original researchPhysical activity and screen time behaviour in metropolitan, regional and rural adolescents: A -sectional study of Australians aged 9–16 years

Abstract

Objectives

Highlights

Introduction

Section snippets

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion

Practical implications

Acknowledgements

Aust N Z J Public Health

Aust N Z J Public Health

Prev Med

Prev Med

Australia's Health 2008

Descriptive epidemiology of small screen recreation among Australian adolescents

J Paediatr Child Health

Anthropometry, fitness and physical activity of urban and rural south Australian children

Pediatr Exerc Sci

Researching the rural–metropolitan health differential using the ‘social determinants of health’

Aust J Rural Health

Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey – Main Findings

Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) remoteness structure (RA) digital boundaries, Australia, 2006 [1259.0.30.004]

International standards for anthropometric assessment

Applying multiple methods to improve accuracy of activity assessments

The Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adolescents (MARCA): development and evaluation

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

The validity of a computerised use of time recall, the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adolescents

Pediatr Exerc Sci

Original research
Physical activity and screen time behaviour in metropolitan, regional and rural adolescents: A -sectional study of Australians aged 9–16 years