Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33865344›Full record

ArticleBMC pediatrics2021

Accelerometer measured physical activity patterns of children during segmented school day in Abu Dhabi.

Rahma Ajja, Ludmilla F Wikkeling-Scott, Keith Brazendale, Rafiq Hijazi, Abdishakur Abdulle

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC pediatrics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Children's perspectives regarding physical activity enablers and barriers in Abu Dhabi.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2025
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Normative Knee Range of Motion for Children.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Rahma AjjaDepartment of Health Sciences, College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, P.O. Box 144534, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. rahma.ajja@zu.ac.ae.ORCID 0000-0003-1396-299X
Ludmilla F Wikkeling-ScottDepartment of Public Health, All Saints University College of Medicine, Arnos Vale, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Keith BrazendaleDepartment of Health Sciences, College of Health Professions and Sciences, University of Central Florida, Florida, USA.
Rafiq HijaziDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Abdishakur AbdullePublic Health Research Center, New York University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Funding

Zayed University R18016
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe overwhelming majority of United Arab Emirates (UAE) school-aged children do not meet the 60 min per day recommendation of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Understanding the different school day segments contribution to children reaching this goal is a crucial step toward developing successful strategies to promote school day MVPA levels. This study aimed to objectively measure children's' physical activity levels and to examine the difference in physical activity levels between high active and low active children during the school day in Abu Dhabi.

methodsA total of 133 school children (56% boys; mean age 10.5 years; grades 4-7) from two elementary schools in Abu Dhabi wore accelerometers (ActiGraph GT9X Link) for up to 5 non-consecutive days during spring 2019. Children's' MVPA was estimated during the following school segments: class time, lunch, recess, physical education (PE), and whole school day. Children were stratified as "high active" meeting the ≥30 min/day MVPA school time guideline or "low active" accumulating < 30 min/day MVPA.

resultsOn average children accumulated 21.8 ± 22.6 min/day of MVPA on PE days and 22.4 ± 15.9 min/day of MVPA on non-PE days. Only 19% of children met the 30 min or more of school day MVPA recommendation, with higher proportion of boys (27%) meeting such recommendation compared to girls (8%). High active boys, spent the highest percent of time in MVPA during PE (28%), followed closely by lunch (27%). In compression, high active girls spent the highest percent of time in MVPA during lunch (14.2%) followed by recess (9.1%). High active children accumulated 15.06 more minutes of MVPA during PE (p < 0.001), 2 more minutes during recess (p < 0.001), 3 more minutes of MVPA during lunch (p < 0.001) and 5 more minutes of MVPA during class time (p < 0.001).

conclusionThe overwhelming majority of school children did not meet the recommended 30 min /day MVPA during school time. Girls substantially accumulated less MVPA and more sedentary minutes across all segments during the school days compared to boys. Further research is needed to investigate school day segments contribution to children MVPA in the UAE.

Indexed as

AccelerometryExerciseChildFemaleHumansMalePhysical Education and TrainingSchoolsUnited Arab EmiratesAccelerometerModerate to vigorous physical activitySchool children

Identifiers

PMID33865344
PMCPMC8053284

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.