Prevalence and influencing factors of physical exercise among urban primary and middle school students in Guangzhou,2016

Objective To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of insufficient physical exercise time and related factors among urban primary and middle school students in Guangzhou,and to provide a reference for the improvement of physical health among children and adolescents.Methods Questionnaire survey were conducted for 10 972 students in three grades (grade 2 of primary school,grade 1 of junior and senior high school) along with the physical examination for urban primary and middle school students in Guangzhou.Kruskal-Wallis test and Chi-square test were used to compare the difference in daily physical exercise time of different genders and grades.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze influencing factors of physical exercise time <1 h per day.Results The average physical exercise time in participants was 21.4 (8.6~40.0) min per day.The prevalence of physical exercise time< 1 h per day was 85.63%,with girls' higher than boys' (90.51% VS 80.61%;x2 =218.04,P<0.05).Disparity of physical exercise time was also observed across different grades (x2=273.68,P< 0.05).Logistic regression model found that refusing to participate in physical exercise (Grade 2 of primary school OR =6.81,95% CI:4.38-10.58,Grade 1 of junior high school OR=4.60,95%CI:3.79-5.59,Grade 1 of senior high school OR=9.25,95%CI:5.90~ 14.49) and being girls (Grade 1 of junior high school OR=1.57,95%CI:1.35-1.82,Grade 1 of senior high school OR =2.85,95%CI:2.07-3.92) could be the main risk factors of insufficient physical exercise time among students in Guangzhou.Conclusion Insufficient physical exercise time is a serious problem among primary and middle school students in urban areas of Guangzhou.With girls as key group,intervention measures should be conducted to improve the interest of children and adolescents in physical exercises.