Household Chores or Play Outdoors? The Intersecting Influence of Gender and School Type on Physical Activity Among Indian Adolescents

Most Indian adolescents, particularly girls and private school students, do not engage in sufficient physical activity (PA). Current understanding of these sociodemographic differences is limited by a focus on exercise, which may not fully capture PA in developing countries. We examined how gender a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health education & behavior 2020-10, Vol.47 (5), p.682-691
Main Authors: Raskind, Ilana G., Patil, Shailaja S., Tandon, Nikhil, Thummalapally, Sharanya, Kramer, Michael R., Cunningham, Solveig A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent girls
Adolescents
Children
Children & youth
Cognitive ability
Confidence intervals
Developing countries
Exercise
Females
Foreign Countries
Gender
Gender aspects
Gender Differences
Girls
Health status
Housework
Institutional Characteristics
LDCs
Life Style
Males
Physical activity
Physical Activity Level
Physical Health
Private Schools
Public Schools
Schools
Secondary School Students
Sex differences
Sociodemographics
Statistical analysis
Student Characteristics
Student Employment
Students
Teenagers
Transportation
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Summary:Most Indian adolescents, particularly girls and private school students, do not engage in sufficient physical activity (PA). Current understanding of these sociodemographic differences is limited by a focus on exercise, which may not fully capture PA in developing countries. We examined how gender and school type are associated with multiple PA domains and whether associations with gender differ by school type. We randomly selected an equal number of girls and boys (ages 13-16 years) from public and private schools in Southern India (n = 395). Cross-sectional 24-hour time-use surveys measured PA, which was categorized into three domains: chores, errands, and work; play; and transportation. Negative binomial and logistic regression modeled relative differences in domain-specific PA minutes and the probability of engaging in ≥60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), respectively, in the prior 24 hours. Girls and boys were equally likely to meet MVPA recommendations. However, girls spent twice as much active time completing chores, errands, and work (rate ratio = 1.98, 95% confidence interval = [1.32, 2.98]), while boys spent twice as much active time playing (rate ratio = 2.11, 95% confidence interval = [1.23, 3.62]). Public and private school girls spent more active time in chores, errands, and work than boys; however, gender differences were greater among public school students (p value for interaction
ISSN:1090-1981
1552-6127
DOI:10.1177/1090198120931040