Objectively measured 24-h movement behaviours of child-guardian pairs in low-to-middle income households in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Objectively measured 24-h movement behaviours of child-guardian pairs in low-to-middle income households in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Background: The decreasing prevalence of physical activity (PA) among urban children in Sub-Saharan Africa is a growing public health concern. More emphasis should focus on examining the influence of parental PA behaviour on the children’s PA patterns. We explored associations of 24 ​hour (h) accele...

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Main Authors: Lucy-Joy Wachira, Nils Swindell, Noora Kanerva, Muhoro Munuhe, Timo Vuorimaa, Tiina Laiho, Sophie Ochola, Maijaliisa Erkkola, George Owino, Gareth Stratton, Mikael Fogelholm, Vincent Onywera
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2025-07-01
Series:Sports Medicine and Health Science
Subjects:
24-h movement behaviour
Accelerometer
Adolescents
Parent
Physical activity
Socio-economic status
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666337625000198
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Summary:Background: The decreasing prevalence of physical activity (PA) among urban children in Sub-Saharan Africa is a growing public health concern. More emphasis should focus on examining the influence of parental PA behaviour on the children’s PA patterns. We explored associations of 24 ​hour (h) accelerometer-measured movement behaviours of guardian-child pairs in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed 80 pairs consisting of children aged 9–14 years and their guardians in one area of low and one area of middle socioeconomic status (SES) (Embakasi Sub-County and Lang’ata Sub-County), in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study used waist worn Tri-axial Actigraph (GT3X+ and ActiSleep+) accelerometers to quantify PA and sedentary time (SED). Association between guardians' and children’s PA was examined using linear regression, adjusting for guardians' educational attainment and household wealth. Results: Of the children, 42 (52.5%) and 76 (96.2%) of the guardians were women. Children in low SES areas spent more time (p ​< ​0.001) in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity compared to children from middle SES area. The guardians in low SES area were younger and spent more time in light PA (p ​= ​0.036) while their counterparts had higher daily SED (p ​= ​0.049). Guardian’s SED associated with higher children’s SED (p ​= ​0.033) even after adjusting for guardians' educational attainment (p ​= ​0.032) and wealth (p ​= ​0.05). There was no association between guardians' and children’s MVPA. Conclusion: Considered alongside the extant literature, these results suggest that health promotion strategies should aim to reduce parental SED time while also planning to increase children’s PA.
ISSN:2666-3376

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