IDEFICS data used in published paper

A cross-sectional study from Sweden using IDEFICS data has been published in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health.

The paper, authored by Hanna Weimann from the University of Gothenburg, assessed over 200 Swedish children aged 4-11 years, with researchers aiming to investigate the association between the neighbourhood environment and physical activity among young children in a Scandinavian setting.

Physical activity was assessed, using an accelerometer, as: total volume of physical activity (i.e. counts per minute), sedentary time and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Neighbourhood resources were generated as the sum of three neighbourhood attributes: foot and bike paths, non-restricted destinations and recreational areas all within 300m of each child’s home.

The study includes data collected from September 2009 to March 2010 as part of the IDEFICS (Identification and Prevention of Dietary and Lifestyle Induced Health Effects in Children and Infants) Study.

The results of the study provided some, not entirely consistent, evidence overall for an association between the neighbourhood environment and physical activity among young children in Scandinavia.

Sex, age, type of housing and accelerometer measurement time were evenly distributed across the neighbourhood groups. By contrast, there were clear differences between the seasons in the amount of activity measured. A substantially larger proportion of children in the worst neighbourhood resources group performed physical activity during winter. For children in the intermediate and best groups, the variable of seasons was more evenly distributed.

Children were more physically active in areas with intermediate access to neighbourhood resources compared to areas with worst access, while the difference between intermediate and best neighbourhood resource areas were less clear.

Click here to read the full paper: Neighbourhood environment and physical activity among young children