Differences in Physical Activity Levels between Urban and Rural School Children in Cyprus

Autor/inn/en	Loucaides, Constantinos A.; Chedzoy, Sue M.; Bennett, Neville
Titel	Differences in Physical Activity Levels between Urban and Rural School Children in Cyprus
Quelle	In: Health Education Research, 19 (2004) 2, S.138-147 (10 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0268-1153
DOI	10.1093/her/cyg014
Schlagwörter	Urban Schools; Rural Schools; Physical Activities; Physical Activity Level; Parents; Rural Urban Differences; Foreign Countries; Handheld Devices; Measurement; Statistical Analysis; Parent Attitudes; Neighborhoods; Elementary School Students; Safety; Community Characteristics; Transportation; Recreational Facilities; Intervention; Climate; Geographic Location; Cyprus + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Urban area; Urban areas; School; Schools; Stadtregion; Stadt; Schule; Rural area; Rural areas; Ländlicher Raum; Schulen; Eltern; Stadt-Land-Beziehung; Ausland; Messverfahren; Statistische Analyse; Elternverhalten; Neighbourhoods; Nachbarschaft; Sicherheit; Verkehrswesen; Freizeiteinrichtung; Klima; Zypern
Abstract	This study attempted to examine differences in physical activity levels between urban and rural primary school children. The sample consisted of 256 Greek-Cypriot children and their parents from two schools representing urban areas and three schools representing rural areas. Children's activity levels were assessed for 4 weekdays in the winter and for 4 weekdays in the summer using a pedometer (DW-200; Yamax, Tokyo, Japan). Daily step counts were used to describe children's activity levels. Parents completed a questionnaire assessing environmental variables in both seasons. Two-way ANOVAs indicated that urban school children were significantly more active in winter than rural school children (means = 13583 plus or minus 4313 versus 12436 plus or minus 3610, P less than 0.001) and that rural school children were significantly more active in the summer (means = 16450 plus or minus 5134 versus 14531 plus or minus 4901, P less than 0.001). Parents of children in rural schools reported more space available in the garden and in the neighbourhoods, and safer neighbourhoods than parents of children in urban schools, whereas children in urban schools had more exercise equipment available at home and were transported more frequently to places where they could be physically active. Results of this study suggest that intervention programmes to promote physical activity need to consider seasonal and geographical location differences in physical activity levels. (Contains 4 tables.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10