No Cover Image

Journal article 236 views 53 downloads

Average acceleration and intensity gradient of 9–11-year-old rural and urban Kenyan school-going children and associations with cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI: The Kenya-LINX project

Stanley K. Kinuthia, Gareth Stratton Orcid Logo, Lucy J. Wachira, Victor O. Okoth, George Evans Owino, Sophie Ochola, Festus Kiplamai, Vincent Onywera, Nils Swindell Orcid Logo

PLOS One, Volume: 20, Issue: 8, Start page: e0329173

Swansea University Authors: Gareth Stratton Orcid Logo, Nils Swindell Orcid Logo

  • pone.0329173.pdf

    PDF | Version of Record

    © 2025 Kinuthia et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).

    Download (549.1KB)

Check full text

DOI (Published version): 10.1371/journal.pone.0329173

Abstract

Background: Physical activity (PA) is crucial for children’s health, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and weight status. However, research on the PA profiles of Kenyan children, especially between rural and urban areas, is limited. Method: This study examined the PA profiles of 537 school-aged childr...

Full description

Published in: PLOS One
ISSN: 1932-6203
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70112
first_indexed 2025-08-05T10:43:28Z
last_indexed 2025-08-19T22:15:08Z
id cronfa70112
recordtype SURis
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2025-08-18T10:50:54.2546047</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>70112</id><entry>2025-08-05</entry><title>Average acceleration and intensity gradient of 9&#x2013;11-year-old rural and urban Kenyan school-going children and associations with cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI: The Kenya-LINX project</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>6d62b2ed126961bed81a94a2beba8a01</sid><ORCID>0000-0001-5618-0803</ORCID><firstname>Gareth</firstname><surname>Stratton</surname><name>Gareth Stratton</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>d89a0a3fb118e1cf625fddc68cdf25bb</sid><ORCID>0000-0003-3742-6139</ORCID><firstname>Nils</firstname><surname>Swindell</surname><name>Nils Swindell</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2025-08-05</date><deptcode>EAAS</deptcode><abstract>Background: Physical activity (PA) is crucial for children&#x2019;s health, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and weight status. However, research on the PA profiles of Kenyan children, especially between rural and urban areas, is limited. Method: This study examined the PA profiles of 537 school-aged children (51.6% girls, 9&#x2013;11-year-olds) from Nairobi City County, Kenya (urban setting), and Kitui County, Kenya (rural setting), using stratified multistage random cluster sampling. Participants wore an accelerometer (Axivity AX3) on their non-dominant wrist for 24 hours a day over seven days. Raw accelerations were extracted and averaged over a 5-s epoch (AvgAcc) to estimate PA volume. Intensity gradient (IG) was calculated as a standardised metric of PA intensity. Participants&#x2019; CRF was assessed by the 20-metre multistage fitness test. Anthropometric measurements (mass and stature) were taken to compute BMI z-scores. Results: PA metrics varied by sex, weight, and CRF. Boys had higher AvgAcc (p &lt; .001) and IG (p &lt; .001) than girls. Healthy weight participants differed significantly in AvgAcc from overweight (p = .001) and obese (p = .001) groups and in IG from overweight (p = .039) and obese (p = .003). Participants with sufficient CRF and insufficient CRF differed significantly in AvgAcc (p &lt; .001) and IG (p &lt; .001). AvgAcc was negatively associated with BMI z-scores (&#x3B2; = &#x2212;0.02, p &lt; .001) and positively associated with CRF (&#x3B2; = 0.21, p &lt; .001), independent of IG and other covariates. IG showed a significant negative association with BMI z-scores (&#x3B2; = &#x2212;1.27, p = 0.003) and a significant positive association with CRF (&#x3B2; = 18.93, p &lt; .001), dependent on AvgAcc. Conclusions: This study introduces AvgAcc and IG metrics among Kenyan children. Urban children accumulate less PA volume and exhibit an inferior intensity profile, which is reflected in important health indicators (BMI and CRF). These findings will inform policy as well as targeted interventions to enhance children&#x2019;s health in diverse contexts.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>PLOS One</journal><volume>20</volume><journalNumber>8</journalNumber><paginationStart>e0329173</paginationStart><paginationEnd/><publisher>Public Library of Science (PLoS)</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic>1932-6203</issnElectronic><keywords/><publishedDay>4</publishedDay><publishedMonth>8</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2025</publishedYear><publishedDate>2025-08-04</publishedDate><doi>10.1371/journal.pone.0329173</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Engineering and Applied Sciences School</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>EAAS</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal)</apcterm><funders>The Global Challenge Research Fund supported pump priming research that led to this project. The Kenya-Linx project was funded by the British Academy under the Urban Infrastructure for Wellbeing scheme (grant number UWB190069).</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2025-08-18T10:50:54.2546047</lastEdited><Created>2025-08-05T11:35:43.8076895</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Science and Engineering</level><level id="2">School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Stanley K.</firstname><surname>Kinuthia</surname><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>Gareth</firstname><surname>Stratton</surname><orcid>0000-0001-5618-0803</orcid><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Lucy J.</firstname><surname>Wachira</surname><order>3</order></author><author><firstname>Victor O.</firstname><surname>Okoth</surname><order>4</order></author><author><firstname>George Evans</firstname><surname>Owino</surname><order>5</order></author><author><firstname>Sophie</firstname><surname>Ochola</surname><order>6</order></author><author><firstname>Festus</firstname><surname>Kiplamai</surname><order>7</order></author><author><firstname>Vincent</firstname><surname>Onywera</surname><order>8</order></author><author><firstname>Nils</firstname><surname>Swindell</surname><orcid>0000-0003-3742-6139</orcid><order>9</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>70112__34912__1531ca608d014c0281c4fd3253c5e728.pdf</filename><originalFilename>pone.0329173.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2025-08-05T11:35:43.8073055</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>562283</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>Version of Record</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>&#xA9; 2025 Kinuthia et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language><licence>http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</licence></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2025-08-18T10:50:54.2546047 v2 70112 2025-08-05 Average acceleration and intensity gradient of 9–11-year-old rural and urban Kenyan school-going children and associations with cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI: The Kenya-LINX project 6d62b2ed126961bed81a94a2beba8a01 0000-0001-5618-0803 Gareth Stratton Gareth Stratton true false d89a0a3fb118e1cf625fddc68cdf25bb 0000-0003-3742-6139 Nils Swindell Nils Swindell true false 2025-08-05 EAAS Background: Physical activity (PA) is crucial for children’s health, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and weight status. However, research on the PA profiles of Kenyan children, especially between rural and urban areas, is limited. Method: This study examined the PA profiles of 537 school-aged children (51.6% girls, 9–11-year-olds) from Nairobi City County, Kenya (urban setting), and Kitui County, Kenya (rural setting), using stratified multistage random cluster sampling. Participants wore an accelerometer (Axivity AX3) on their non-dominant wrist for 24 hours a day over seven days. Raw accelerations were extracted and averaged over a 5-s epoch (AvgAcc) to estimate PA volume. Intensity gradient (IG) was calculated as a standardised metric of PA intensity. Participants’ CRF was assessed by the 20-metre multistage fitness test. Anthropometric measurements (mass and stature) were taken to compute BMI z-scores. Results: PA metrics varied by sex, weight, and CRF. Boys had higher AvgAcc (p < .001) and IG (p < .001) than girls. Healthy weight participants differed significantly in AvgAcc from overweight (p = .001) and obese (p = .001) groups and in IG from overweight (p = .039) and obese (p = .003). Participants with sufficient CRF and insufficient CRF differed significantly in AvgAcc (p < .001) and IG (p < .001). AvgAcc was negatively associated with BMI z-scores (β = −0.02, p < .001) and positively associated with CRF (β = 0.21, p < .001), independent of IG and other covariates. IG showed a significant negative association with BMI z-scores (β = −1.27, p = 0.003) and a significant positive association with CRF (β = 18.93, p < .001), dependent on AvgAcc. Conclusions: This study introduces AvgAcc and IG metrics among Kenyan children. Urban children accumulate less PA volume and exhibit an inferior intensity profile, which is reflected in important health indicators (BMI and CRF). These findings will inform policy as well as targeted interventions to enhance children’s health in diverse contexts. Journal Article PLOS One 20 8 e0329173 Public Library of Science (PLoS) 1932-6203 4 8 2025 2025-08-04 10.1371/journal.pone.0329173 COLLEGE NANME Engineering and Applied Sciences School COLLEGE CODE EAAS Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) The Global Challenge Research Fund supported pump priming research that led to this project. The Kenya-Linx project was funded by the British Academy under the Urban Infrastructure for Wellbeing scheme (grant number UWB190069). 2025-08-18T10:50:54.2546047 2025-08-05T11:35:43.8076895 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences Stanley K. Kinuthia 1 Gareth Stratton 0000-0001-5618-0803 2 Lucy J. Wachira 3 Victor O. Okoth 4 George Evans Owino 5 Sophie Ochola 6 Festus Kiplamai 7 Vincent Onywera 8 Nils Swindell 0000-0003-3742-6139 9 70112__34912__1531ca608d014c0281c4fd3253c5e728.pdf pone.0329173.pdf 2025-08-05T11:35:43.8073055 Output 562283 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2025 Kinuthia et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Average acceleration and intensity gradient of 9–11-year-old rural and urban Kenyan school-going children and associations with cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI: The Kenya-LINX project
spellingShingle Average acceleration and intensity gradient of 9–11-year-old rural and urban Kenyan school-going children and associations with cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI: The Kenya-LINX project
Gareth Stratton
Nils Swindell
title_short Average acceleration and intensity gradient of 9–11-year-old rural and urban Kenyan school-going children and associations with cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI: The Kenya-LINX project
title_full Average acceleration and intensity gradient of 9–11-year-old rural and urban Kenyan school-going children and associations with cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI: The Kenya-LINX project
title_fullStr Average acceleration and intensity gradient of 9–11-year-old rural and urban Kenyan school-going children and associations with cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI: The Kenya-LINX project
title_full_unstemmed Average acceleration and intensity gradient of 9–11-year-old rural and urban Kenyan school-going children and associations with cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI: The Kenya-LINX project
title_sort Average acceleration and intensity gradient of 9–11-year-old rural and urban Kenyan school-going children and associations with cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI: The Kenya-LINX project
author_id_str_mv 6d62b2ed126961bed81a94a2beba8a01
d89a0a3fb118e1cf625fddc68cdf25bb
author_id_fullname_str_mv 6d62b2ed126961bed81a94a2beba8a01_***_Gareth Stratton
d89a0a3fb118e1cf625fddc68cdf25bb_***_Nils Swindell
author Gareth Stratton
Nils Swindell
author2 Stanley K. Kinuthia
Gareth Stratton
Lucy J. Wachira
Victor O. Okoth
George Evans Owino
Sophie Ochola
Festus Kiplamai
Vincent Onywera
Nils Swindell
format Journal article
container_title PLOS One
container_volume 20
container_issue 8
container_start_page e0329173
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
issn 1932-6203
doi_str_mv 10.1371/journal.pone.0329173
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Background: Physical activity (PA) is crucial for children’s health, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and weight status. However, research on the PA profiles of Kenyan children, especially between rural and urban areas, is limited. Method: This study examined the PA profiles of 537 school-aged children (51.6% girls, 9–11-year-olds) from Nairobi City County, Kenya (urban setting), and Kitui County, Kenya (rural setting), using stratified multistage random cluster sampling. Participants wore an accelerometer (Axivity AX3) on their non-dominant wrist for 24 hours a day over seven days. Raw accelerations were extracted and averaged over a 5-s epoch (AvgAcc) to estimate PA volume. Intensity gradient (IG) was calculated as a standardised metric of PA intensity. Participants’ CRF was assessed by the 20-metre multistage fitness test. Anthropometric measurements (mass and stature) were taken to compute BMI z-scores. Results: PA metrics varied by sex, weight, and CRF. Boys had higher AvgAcc (p < .001) and IG (p < .001) than girls. Healthy weight participants differed significantly in AvgAcc from overweight (p = .001) and obese (p = .001) groups and in IG from overweight (p = .039) and obese (p = .003). Participants with sufficient CRF and insufficient CRF differed significantly in AvgAcc (p < .001) and IG (p < .001). AvgAcc was negatively associated with BMI z-scores (β = −0.02, p < .001) and positively associated with CRF (β = 0.21, p < .001), independent of IG and other covariates. IG showed a significant negative association with BMI z-scores (β = −1.27, p = 0.003) and a significant positive association with CRF (β = 18.93, p < .001), dependent on AvgAcc. Conclusions: This study introduces AvgAcc and IG metrics among Kenyan children. Urban children accumulate less PA volume and exhibit an inferior intensity profile, which is reflected in important health indicators (BMI and CRF). These findings will inform policy as well as targeted interventions to enhance children’s health in diverse contexts.
published_date 2025-08-04T14:17:47Z
_version_ 1851040587943247872
score 11.089677

Similar Items