Using the ActivPAL Monitor to Quantify Time Spent Sitting, Standing and Stepping at School: A One-day Snapshot
Saeideh Aminian
School of Sport and Recreation, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
Scott Duncan
Human Potential Centre, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
Kate White
Human Potential Centre, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
Erica A. Hinckson *
School of Sport and Recreation, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Our understanding of the amount of time children spend sitting, standing and stepping during a typical school day is limited. The ActivPAL monitor, which can differentiate between sitting and standing, was used in this study to objectively assess free-living activities in children.
Aims: The main purpose was to objectively quantify the time children spend sitting, standing and stepping in a typical school day. A secondary purpose was to compare the ActivPAL monitor step counts with those obtained from Actical accelerometers.
Study Design: Pilot observational study.
Place and Duration of Study: Elementary school in Auckland, New Zealand, July 2010.
Methodology: A total of 78 elementary school children (age 8.4±1.4 years; mean ± SD) participated in the study for one school day in July 2010. Within-day differences in the proportions of time spent sitting, standing and stepping were assessed using ANOVA. The effect of sex and age on mean scores was also evaluated, using independent-samples t-tests and one-way between-groups ANOVA respectively. Bland and Altman analyses were used to estimate the agreement in step counts between devices.
Results: From an average of 303±6 minutes, children spent 170±35 min (56%) sitting, 77±24 min (25%) standing, and 56±19 min (18%) stepping. Most of children’s sitting time occurred in class (149±10 min; 49%). Boys and girls accumulated similar proportions of sitting, standing and stepping. On average, 33% more steps recorded by the Actical accelerometer compared to the ActivPAL.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that children spend over half of their time at school sitting. Furthermore, the ActivPAL monitor steps are not equivalent to the Actical accelerometer steps.
Keywords: Children, physical activity, measurement, sitting, ActivPAL