TY - JOUR
T1 - Inequality in Children’s Physical Activity Across Time-Segmented Youth Sport Practice
AU - Rogers, Ann E.
AU - Wichman, Christopher S.
AU - Schenkelberg, Michaela A.
AU - Dzewaltowski, David A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Purpose: Youth sport (YS) is a community system for promoting children’s physical activity (PA). Studies have examined mean PA during YS practices, but few have examined inequalities in the distribution of PA among children during practice time. This study examined PA inequality in time-segmented YS practices and differences in inequality by time segment characteristics. Methods: Children’s PA and YS practices were examined using accelerometer and video observation data from a sample of YS teams (n = 36 teams, n = 101 practices) for third- through sixth-grade children (n = 392), approximately eight to 12 years old, in two rural U.S. communities. Practices were time-segmented into smaller units (episodes; n = 991). Episodes were assigned codes for purpose (e.g. warm-up), member arrangement (e.g. whole group), and setting demand (i.e. fosters participation, creates exclusion). Group accelerometer data were paired with episodes, and the Gini coefficient quantified inequality in activity counts and minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Beta generalized estimating equations examined the influence of episode structure on PA inequality. Results: Warm-up (Gini = 0.22), fitness (Gini = 0.24), and sport skill (Gini = 0.24) episodes had significantly lower inequality (p <.05) in activity counts than other purpose types. Management (Gini = 0.32) and strategy (Gini = 0.40) episodes had significantly greater inequality (p <.05) in MVPA minutes than other purpose types. Episodes fostering participation (Gini = 0.32) had significantly lower activity count inequality (p <.05) than episodes creating exclusion (Gini = 0.35). Conclusion: PA inequality among children during YS varied by practice structure. Metrics such as the Gini coefficient can illuminate inequalities in PA and may be useful for guiding efforts to improve population PA in children. Trial Registration: This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier: NCT03380143).
AB - Purpose: Youth sport (YS) is a community system for promoting children’s physical activity (PA). Studies have examined mean PA during YS practices, but few have examined inequalities in the distribution of PA among children during practice time. This study examined PA inequality in time-segmented YS practices and differences in inequality by time segment characteristics. Methods: Children’s PA and YS practices were examined using accelerometer and video observation data from a sample of YS teams (n = 36 teams, n = 101 practices) for third- through sixth-grade children (n = 392), approximately eight to 12 years old, in two rural U.S. communities. Practices were time-segmented into smaller units (episodes; n = 991). Episodes were assigned codes for purpose (e.g. warm-up), member arrangement (e.g. whole group), and setting demand (i.e. fosters participation, creates exclusion). Group accelerometer data were paired with episodes, and the Gini coefficient quantified inequality in activity counts and minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Beta generalized estimating equations examined the influence of episode structure on PA inequality. Results: Warm-up (Gini = 0.22), fitness (Gini = 0.24), and sport skill (Gini = 0.24) episodes had significantly lower inequality (p <.05) in activity counts than other purpose types. Management (Gini = 0.32) and strategy (Gini = 0.40) episodes had significantly greater inequality (p <.05) in MVPA minutes than other purpose types. Episodes fostering participation (Gini = 0.32) had significantly lower activity count inequality (p <.05) than episodes creating exclusion (Gini = 0.35). Conclusion: PA inequality among children during YS varied by practice structure. Metrics such as the Gini coefficient can illuminate inequalities in PA and may be useful for guiding efforts to improve population PA in children. Trial Registration: This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier: NCT03380143).
KW - Community metrics
KW - community systems
KW - population health
KW - rural
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85198108308&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85198108308&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/02701367.2024.2367565
DO - 10.1080/02701367.2024.2367565
M3 - Article
C2 - 38990545
AN - SCOPUS:85198108308
SN - 0270-1367
JO - Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
JF - Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
ER -