Effect of adult leader participation on physical activity in children

Background: Participation in physically active games is one way to increase energy expend- ture in children. However, it is unknown whether adult leader participation (LP) in games can im- pact children's physical activity (PA) levels. The purpose of this study was to examine the influ-ence of LP compared to no LP on PA levels among children participating in organized ac- tive games. Methods: Children (n = 14) in grades 4 - 6 (Male = 42.8%, White = 50%, Overweight/ Obese = 42.8%) participated in four active games across two consecutive days. Each day, children participated in two 16-minute games and receiv- ed verbal encouragement from an adult leader. Each game was divided into four-minute inter- vals alternating between LP or no LP. LP was counter-balanced across two days. Each child wore an Actigraph GT1M accelerometer. Time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), vig-orous PA (VPA), and sedentary behavior (SB) was determined by Freedson's MET prediction. Data were analyzed using a condition (LP or no LP) by game repeated-measures ANCOVA. Re- sults: Children participated in MVPA 52.3% of game time across all games. There were no dif-ferences in MVPA, VPA, and SB by gender, weight status, or ethnicity. LP and no LP condi- tions were not different for MVPA, VPA, or SB. Conclusions: These results show no effect of LP on PA in children during active games. It may be that LP could not increase PA because the chil- dren were already exhibiting high levels of MVPA.