Variability of Spanish adolescents' physical activity patterns by seasonality, day of the week and demographic factors

Abstract In this study, we examined the variability of physical activity (and inactivity) patterns in relation to gender, age, type of school, day of the week, and season of the year among a sample of Spanish adolescents aged 12-16 years. Levels of physical activity engagement, “who” was active/inactive, and “when” they were active/inactive were addressed. A Spanish translation and modification of Cale's Four by One-Day Physical Activity Questionnaire was administered by interviewer to 323 participants to measure estimated energy expenditure. Activity was assessed for two weekdays and two weekend days on two occasions during the autumn and two occasions during the winter. In an effort to better describe adolescents' active/inactive lifestyles, energy expenditures were translated into physical activity categories (i.e. active, moderately active, inactive, and very inactive). Results revealed that mean adolescent total daily energy expenditure was 41.46 kcal·kg-1·day-1 (s=7.05), which corresponded to the “active” category. Factorial and mixed analyses of variance showed statistically significant differences in energy expenditure by gender, season, day of the week, and type of school (P