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Physical activity and inactivity in Chinese school-aged youth: the China Health and Nutrition Survey

International Journal of Obesity volume 27, pages 1093–1099 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe physical activity (PA) and inactivity levels and patterns in Chinese school children (aged 6–18 y).

DESIGN: PA and inactivity were assessed in a youth cohort enrolled in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) in 1997.

SUBJECTS: A total of 1423 males (11.5±3.2 y) and 1252 females (11.5±3.3 y).

MEASUREMENTS: PA and inactivity were assessed by self-reported usual activity (questionnaire). Children under 10 y were assisted by parents.

RESULTS: Approximately 84% of Chinese youth actively commute to school for a median of 100–150 min/week. A total of 72% engage in in-school moderate/vigorous (MOD/VIG) PA for a median of 90–110 min/week. Relatively few children (≈8%) participate in any MOD/VIG PA outside of school. A total of 72% engage in study-related activities outside of school for a median of 420 min/week. Only 8% of Chinese school children, regardless of gender, watch television ≥2 h/day; less than 1% watch ≥4 h/day. Chores related to housework are not a part of life for Chinese school children; fewer than 20% performed these tasks.

CONCLUSION: Chinese youth are unique compared to those in other developing countries because they do not perform household chores. Instead, they are under pressure to achieve scholastically. Participation in MOD/VIG PA outside of school is almost nonexistent. Current television watching habits are relatively low compared to developed countries and walking/biking is a common form of commuting. The descriptive analysis herein represents the foundation upon which future longitudinal studies of PA in this population will be based.

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Acknowledgements

The major funding of the CHNS survey and data dissemination for 1991–2000 has come from the National Institutes of Health (P01-HD28076, and subsequently 8 y of HD30880). Additional funding has come from NIH (HD39183), the Carolina Population Center (in particular, CPC funded CHNS89), the Ford Foundation, the National Science Foundation (INT-9215399), and the CAPM. Analysis funding for this project was provided by the Scientific Affairs Division of M&M Mars through a subcontract to the University of South Carolina Prevention Research Center and the Department of Exercise and Wellness at the Arizona State University from the University of North Carolina's Carolina Population Center.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Exercise and Wellness, Arizona State University East, Mesa, AZ, USA

    C Tudor-Locke

  2. Prevention Research Centre, Norman J Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    B E Ainsworth

  3. Department of Epidemiology and Department of Exercise Science, Norman J Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    B E Ainsworth

  4. Department of Nutrition, Carolina Population Centre and School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    L S Adair & B M Popkin

  5. Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China

    S Du

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  1. C Tudor-Locke
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  2. B E Ainsworth
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Correspondence to C Tudor-Locke.

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Tudor-Locke, C., Ainsworth, B., Adair, L. et al. Physical activity and inactivity in Chinese school-aged youth: the China Health and Nutrition Survey. Int J Obes 27, 1093–1099 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802377

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