Article

Physical activity of children from a small rural town, South Africa

Published in: South African Family Practice
Volume 58 , issue 2 , 2016 , pages: 68–73

DOI: 10.1080/20786190.2015.1120935

Author(s): E Minnaar Private Practice General Practitioner, South Africa , CC Grant Section Sports Medicine, South Africa , L Fletcher Department of Statistics, South Africa

Keywords: children , descriptive study , pedometer , physical activity , steps per day , South Africa

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Abstract

Introduction: Physical activity plays an integral role in the normal physical, mental, social and cognitive development of children. One of the main reasons for overweight children in low- and middle-income countries like South Africa is inactivity. This study’s aim was to describe the physical activity measured in boys and girls from section 21, quintile 5 pre-primary and primary schools in a small rural South African town and to compare it with recommended international physical activity levels.

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