Tadeja Volmut, Petra Dolenc, and Boštjan Šimunič, Institute for Kinesiology Research, Science and Research Centre of Koper, University of Primorska, Koper, and Faculty of Education, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia
Abstract
The objective of the study was to examine long summer vacation (LSV) effect on physical activity (PA)
in 68 children from three Slovenian cities. PA was assessed over five consecutive days using
accelerometer in 6- to 8-year-old children (N = 68; 35 girls and 33 boys, mean age 7.0 ± 0.8 years). PA
was assessed on two occasions, before and after LSV and showed clear Gaussian distribution model. PA
dropped after LSV for boys (9.6%, P = 0.004) and girls (9%, P = 0.014). Furthermore, PA intensity
changed significantly after LSV. In boys inactivity increased after LSV from 69% to 72.2% (P = 0.009)
and in girls from 71.7% to 74.2% (P = 0.031), while light PA decreased from 26.9% to 24% (P = 0.005)
in boys and from 24.6% to 22.5% (P = 0.035) in girls. In 27% of boys and in just 13% of girls the amount
of physical activity in June also determined the amount of physical activity in September. Furthermore,
we found a significant drop in physical activity only in boys (P = 0.002) and girls (P < 0.001) with higher
initial (June 2007) values. In conclusion we could state that there is a clear negative effect of long
summer vacation on physical activity habits and needs further investigations for clear explanation.
Keywords: school children, intensity of physical activity, gender, accelerometer
References
1. Baranowski, T., Bouchard, C., Bar-Or, O., Bar-Or, O., Bricker, T., Heath, G., Kimm, S.Y., Malina,
R., Obarzanek, E., Pate, R., Strong, W.B., et al. (1992). Assessment, prevalence, and cardiovascular
benefits of physical activity and fitness in youth. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 24(6
Suppl), S237-47.
2. Baranowski, T., Thompson, W. O., DuRant R.H., Baranowski, J., & Puhl, J. (1993). Observations on
physical activity in physical locations: age, gender, ethnicity, and month effects. Research Quarterly
for Exercise and Sport, 64 (2), 127-33.
3. Cavill, N., Biddle, S., Sallis, J.F. (2001). Health enhancing physical activity for young people:
Statement of the United Kingdom expert consensus conference. Pediatric Exercise Science, 13, 12-
25.
4. Cradock, A. L., Wiecha, J. L., Peterson, K. E., Sobol, A. M., Colditz, G. A., & Gortmaker, S. L.
(2004). Youth Recall and TriTrac Accelerometer Estimates of Physical Activity Levels. Medicine and
Science in Sports and Exercise, 36(3), pp. 525-532.
5. Jurak, G., Kovač, M., & Strel, J. (2001). Značilnosti izvajanja športnih programov med poletnimi
počitnicami. In B. Škof, in M. Kovač (Ed.), Zbornik referatov 14. strokovnega posveta Zveze društev
športnih pedagogov Slovenije. Uvajanje novosti pri šolski športni vzgoji. Ljubljana: Association of
Societies of Sports Teachers of Slovenia, 450-461.
6. Jurak, G., Kovač, M., Strel, J., Majerič, M., Starc, G., Bednarik, J. et al. (2002). Nekatere značilnosti
preživljanja prostega časa osnovnošolcev med poletnimi počitnicami. In: Otrok v gibanju – zbornik
prispevkov (241-246). Ljubljana: Pedagoška fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani.
7. Jurak, G., Kovač, M., Strel, J., & Bednarik, J. (2003). Gender differences of Slovenian children and
youth in spending summer holidays. [Electonic source]. Suomen liikuntalääketiede [Finnish sports
and exercise medicine]: The International XVII Puijo Symposium special issue “Physical Activity
and Health: Gender Differences Across the Lifespan. Retrieved October 10 2003, from:
http://ffp.uku.fi/sll/index.html
8. Kohl, H.W., & Hobbs, K.E. (1998). Development of physical activity behaviors among children and
adolescents. Pediatrics, 101(3 Pt 2),549-54.
9. Kristensen, P. L., Korsholm, L., Møller, N. C., Wedderkopp, N,, Andersen, L. B., & Froberg K.
(2007). Sources of Variation in Habitual Physical Activity of Children and Adolescents: The
European Youth Heart Study. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports (e-publication
ahead of print, June 2007).
10. Malina, R.M. (1996). Tracking of physical activity and physical fitness across the lifespan. Research
Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 67(3 Suppl), pp. 48-57.
11. Riddoch, C.J., & Boreham, C.A. (1995). The health-related physical activity of children. Sports
Medicine, 19(2):86-102.
12. Riddoch, C. J., Mattocks, C., Deere, K., Saunders, J., Kirkby, J., Tilling, K. et al. (2007). Objective
measurement of levels and patterns of physical activity. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 92, 963-
969.
13. Strel, J., Novak, H., Pisanski, M., Mesarič, V., & Štihec, J. (1993). Psihosocialno in telesno stanje
osnovnošolskih učencev z vidika obremenjenosti s šolskim delom [Psychosocial and physical state of
primary school pupils from the point of view of school workload]. Ljubljana: faculty of Sport,
University of Ljubljana.
14. Sallis, J.F., McKenzie, T.L., Kolody, B., Lewis, M., Marshall, S., & Rosengard, P. (1999). Effects of
health-related physical education on academic achievement: Project SPARK. Research Quarterly for
Exercise and Sport, 70(2):127-34.
15. Simons-Morton, B.G., Parcel, G.S., O’Hara, N.M., Blair, S.N., & Pate, R.R. (1988). Health-related
physical fitness in childhood: status and recommendations. Annual Review of Public Health, 9, 403-
25.
Volmot T. et al. EQOL (2009) 56-62
62
16. Šetina, T., Volmut, T., Pišot, R., Dolenc, P., Štemberger, V., Videmšek, M. et al. (2007). Measurment
of children’s physical activity – related to age and gender. = Merjenje Fizičke aktivnosti dece u
odnosu na godište I pol. In: Bala, Gustav (Ed.) Zbornik radova interdisciplinarne naučne konferencije
sa međunarodnim učešćem Antropološki status I fizička aktivnost dece, omladine I odraslih. Novi
Sad: Fakultet sporta I fizičkog vaspitanja, pp. 31-40.
17. Trost, S. G., Pate, R.R., Sallis, J. F., Freedson, P. S., Taylor, W. C., Dowda, M. et al. (2002). Age
and gender differences in objective measured physical activity in youth. Medicine & Science in
Sports & Exercise, 34(2), 350-355.
18. Trost, S. (2007). Measurment of Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents. American Journal of
Lifestyle Medicine, 34(2): pp. 350-355.
19. Volmut, T., Dolenc, P., Šetina, T., Pišot, R., & Šimunič, B. (2008a). Objektivno izmerjena gibalna
aktivnost deklic in dečkov pred in po poletnih počitnicah. In: ŠTEMBERGER, V. (Ed.), PIŠOT, R.
(Ed.), RUPRET, K. (Ed.). Gibalna, športna vzgoja v luči kakovostnega izobraževanja: zbornik
prispevkov (str. 496-501). Koper: Univerza na Primorskem, Pedagoška fakulteta, Znanstveno
raziskovalno središče; Ljubljana: Univerza v Ljubljani, Pedagoška fakulteta.
20. Volmut, T., Dolenc, P., Šetina, T., Pišot, R., & Šimunič, B. (2008b). Objectively measured intensity
of physical activity in children before and after long summer vacations. In: BLAHUTKOVÁ, M. (Ed.).
Sport a kvalita života 2008: sbornik přispěvků (pp. 171- 6). Brno: Masarykova univerzita, Fakulta
sportovních studií.