Abstract

Background: As the number of immigrant children increases in the U.S.A, there is a growing need to understand their health behavior and health needs. The purpose of this research was to describe the physical activity among Sudanese children in a Midwestern Metropolitan area.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 64 Sudanese children, 31 boys and 33 girls and aged 5 to 18. Physical activity was measured using the Physical Activity Questionnaires for Adolescents and Children (PAQ) and Omron (HJ-720 IT) pedometers. We measured height with a wall mounted stadiometer, and weight with an electronic scale. Fat mass, lean mass and body fat percentage were measured using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
Results: There was no significant difference in average steps per day between boys girls However, boys averaged significantly more aerobic steps (784.6) per day, than girls (169.4) (P<0.05) Only three children (5.6%) were classified as active based on pedometer data, and 22 % were active based on PAQ data. No child met the CDC recommended activity level of 60-minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily. More than 56% (n=33) of children watched TV at least 2 hours a day. Almost 2/3 of the children reported being active in physical education class. Children were least active on weekends and during free time. More than 25 % of the children were overweight or obese by BMI and 25% of the boys and 30% of the girls had high body fat percentage.
Conclusions: Sudanese children had exceptionally low levels of physical activity and high levels of sedentary activities, particularly during free-time and week-ends. Physical education classes were an important sources of activity. Further research is necessary to explore the impact of low physical activity levels on children’s health and the barriers to physical activity among Sudanese children.