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Determinants of moderate to vigorous physical activity and obesity in children: a structural equation modeling analysis

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Abstract

Background

The determinants of physical activity (PA) and body fatness in Chinese adolescents are rarely examined. This study aimed to investigate the effect of attitude toward PA, screen time, parents’ socioeconomic status (SES), and exercise habit on PA and body fatness among Chinese children by using structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis.

Methods

Data obtained from the second Community Fitness Survey in Hong Kong were utilized, in which students from one secondary school of each of the 18 districts of Hong Kong were recruited. A total of 2517 questionnaires with physical fitness items were successfully distributed to students aged 13-19 years in these districts. Families’ SES, parents’ exercise habit, children’s intention to participate in PA, amount of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA), screen time, children’s attitude toward PA, and children’s body fat percentage were measured and analyzed with SEM. The structural equation model was composed of a measurement model and a structural model. The model was tested with Mplus 6. The Chi-square test, root mean square error of approximation, comparative fit index, and Tucker-Lewis index were calculated to evaluate model fit. The model was then modified based on the model fit indices.

Results

Children’s intention to participate in PA was a strong predictor of their engagement in MVPA. Parents’ exercise habit had both direct and indirect (via attitude) effects on their children’s intention to participate in PA. Screen time was not a predictor of body composition. Children’s intention to participate in PA directly affected their body composition. Children’s attitude toward PA, parents’ exercise habit, and SES had significant effects on the children’s intention to participate in PA. Furthermore, obesity had a negative effect on the children’s attitude toward PA.

Conclusion

To promote MVPA and prevent obesity in Chinese children of Hong Kong, it is important to design intervention that enhances children’s intention and attitude in PA, as well as parent’s exercise habits. Tailormade programs that take SES into consideration are also essential. Further studies are necessary to extend the results and test the model in other metropolitan areas in China.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Indiana University, Indiana, USA

    Daniel Chi-Shing Yeung

  2. Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, School of Education, Indiana University, Indiana, USA

    Xin Yuan

  3. Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China

    Stanley Sai-Chuen Hui

  4. School of Health Systems and Public Health, Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Shingairai Aliifina Feresu

Authors
  1. Daniel Chi-Shing Yeung
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  2. Xin Yuan
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  3. Stanley Sai-Chuen Hui
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  4. Shingairai Aliifina Feresu
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Correspondence to Stanley Sai-Chuen Hui.

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Yeung, D.CS., Yuan, X., Hui, S.SC. et al. Determinants of moderate to vigorous physical activity and obesity in children: a structural equation modeling analysis. World J Pediatr 12, 170–176 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-015-0057-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-015-0057-8

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