Engagement of physical activity outside school hours of ten to eleven-year old Maltese children

Abstract

A prior study with 10 to 11 year old Maltese students showed that only 24.7% of children comply with the daily recommended guidelines of physical activity (PA) Decelis, Jago & Fox (2014). Malta, together with other countries from the southern part of the EU was identified as having one of the lowest numbers of active citizens, as 75% of Maltese citizens do not engage in any type of physical exertion (Directorate- General for Education and Culture, 2014). This study, with a sample of 248 participants analysed PA and sedentary behaviours of 10 to 11 year old Maltese children beyond school hours. Academic Achievement (AA) of the same students was also recorded and any relationship between the two variables was investigated. Data regarding lifestyle patterns was collected through self-reported questionnaires, and academic results were obtained from the administration office of each participating school. Results indicate that only 7.3% of participants engage in physical exertion every day of the week, while 39.5% reported that they do not engage in any PA outside of school hours. Furthermore, an analysis of AA of the three core subjects (Maltese, English and Mathematics) showed that there is no relationship between students’ achievement in the three subjects and students’ PA level. New strategies are necessary to cultivate an active behaviour amongst school aged children, and the role of parents emerges as fundamental since children tend to look up to them. Moreover, schools should be encouraged to establish new initiatives such as the ‘walking bus’ to encourage active behaviours and active modes of transport between home and school. Physically active lifestyle and healthy behaviours should be encouraged amongst people of all ages, but especially promoted with children since it is more likely that they foster an active lifestyle in the future if they start from a young age.