Daily Weather and Children’s Physical Activity Patterns

INTRODUCTIONUnderstanding how the weather affects physical activity (PA) may help in the design, analysis and interpretation of future studies, especially when investigating PA across diverse meteorological settings and with long follow-up periods. The present longitudinal study first aims to examin...

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Published in:Medicine and science in sports and exercise 2017-05, Vol.49 (5), p.922-929
Main Authors: Remmers, Teun, Thijs, Carel, Timperio, Anna, Salmon, Jo, Veitch, Jenny, Kremers, Stef P.J, Ridgers, Nicola D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Australia
Body Mass Index
Child
Exercise
Humans
Humidity
Longitudinal Studies
Rain
Seasons
Sex Factors
Sunlight
Temperature
Weather
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Summary:INTRODUCTIONUnderstanding how the weather affects physical activity (PA) may help in the design, analysis and interpretation of future studies, especially when investigating PA across diverse meteorological settings and with long follow-up periods. The present longitudinal study first aims to examine the influence of daily weather elements on intra-individual PA patterns among primary school children across four seasons, reflecting day-to-day variation within each season. Second, we investigate whether the influence of weather elements differs by day of the week (weekdays vs. weekends), gender, age, and Body Mass Index. METHODPA data were collected by ActiGraph accelerometers for one week in each of four school terms that reflect each season in southeast Australia. PA data from 307 children (age range 8.7-12.8 years) were matched to daily meteorological variables obtained from the Australian Government’s Bureau of Meteorology (maximum temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, day length, and rainfall). Daily PA patterns and their association with weather elements were analyzed using multilevel linear mixed models. RESULTSTemperature was the strongest predictor of moderate- and vigorous PA, followed by solar radiation and humidity. The relation with temperature was curvilinear, showing optimum PA levels at temperatures between 20 and 22 degrees Celsius. Associations between weather elements on PA did not differ by gender, child’s age, or Body Mass Index. CONCLUSIONSThis novel study focused on the influence of weather elements on intra-individual PA patterns in children. As weather influences cannot be controlled, knowledge of its impact on individual PA patterns may help in the design of future studies, interpretation of their results, and translation into PA promotion.
ISSN:0195-9131
1530-0315
DOI:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001181