Level of physical activity in rural and urban elementary school children: An observational study

Abstract

Physical activity is influenced by various factors such as geographical background, socio-economic status, urban/rural dwelling etc. A better understanding of rural and urban prevalence in level of physical activity leads to targeted physical activity intervention. The sample consisted of 100 elementary school children; 50(urban) and 50(rural) locality of Ahmedabad city aged 8-14 years. Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children [PAQ-C] Gujarati version was used to assess various dimensions of physical activity. On PAQ-C score for Urban population, 14%showed High Physical Activity; 16% showed Low Physical Activity; 70% showed Moderate Physical Activity. PAQ-C score for Rural Population, 24% showed High Physical Activity; 12% showed Low Physical Activity; 64% showed Moderate Physical Activity. Children living in rural areas are more physically active than urban though overall PAQ-C score displayed moderate activity. Boys displayed higher physical activity than girls in both urban and rural settings.