Regional differences of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in Swiss children are not explained by socio-demographics or the built environment
Bringolf-Isler, Bettina ; Mäder, Urs ; Dössegger, Alain ; Hofmann, Heidi ; Puder, Jardena ; Braun-Fahrländer, Charlotte ; Kriemler, Susi
In: International Journal of Public Health, 2015, vol. 60, no. 3, p. 291-300
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- Objective: We evaluated whether regional differences in physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) existed along language boundaries within Switzerland and whether potential differences would be explained by socio-demographics or environmental characteristics. Methods: We combined data of 611 children aged 4 to 7 years from four regional studies. PA and SB were assessed by accelerometers. Information about the socio-demographic background was obtained by questionnaires. Objective neighbourhood attributes could be linked to home addresses. Multivariate regression models were used to test associations between PA and SB and socio-demographic characteristics and neighbourhood attributes. Results: Children from the German compared to the French-speaking region were more physically active and less sedentary (by 10-15%, p<0.01). Although German-speaking children lived in a more favourable environment and a higher socioeconomic neighbourhood (differences p<0.001), these characteristics did not explain the differences in PA behaviour between French and German speaking. Conclusions: Factors related to the language region, which might be culturally rooted were among the strongest correlates of PA and SB among Swiss children, independent of individual, social and environmental factors.