Introduction
Methods
Development of Germany’s 2022 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents
Indicators
Literature search—data sources
Grades
Grade | Prevalence (%) | Interpretation |
---|---|---|
A+ | 94–100 | We are succeeding with a large majority of children and youth |
A | 87–93 | |
A− | 80–86 | |
B+ | 74–79 | We are succeeding with well over half of children and youth |
B | 67–73 | |
B− | 60–66 | |
C+ | 54–59 | We are succeeding with about half of children and youth |
C | 47–53 | |
C− | 40–46 | |
D+ | 34–39 | We are succeeding with less than half but some children and youth |
D | 27–33 | |
D− | 20–26 | |
F | < 20 | We are succeeding with very few children and youth |
INC | – | Incomplete—insufficient or inadequate information to assign a grade |
Indicator/Definition | Benchmark(s) | Overall gradea and type of data usedb | Grade girls 2022 | Grade boys 2022 | During COVID-19 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall Physical Activity Any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure | % of children and youth who meet the Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health, which recommend that children and youth accumulate at least 60 min of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity per day on average. Alternative: % of children and youth meeting the guidelines on at least 4 days a week (when an average cannot be estimated) | D−* | D−* | D* | – |
Non-organized Physical Activity and Active Play Active play may involve symbolic activity or games with or without clearly defined rules; the activity may be unstructured/unorganized, social or solitary, but the distinguishing features are a playful context, combined with activity that is significantly above resting metabolic rate. Active play tends to occur sporadically, with frequent rest periods, which makes it difficult to record | % of children and youth who engage in unstructured/unorganized active play at any intensity for more than 2 h a day. % of children and youth who report being outdoors for more than 2 h a day | C−* | D+* | C* | – |
Active Transportation Active transportation refers to any form of human-powered transportation—walking, cycling, using a wheelchair, in-line skating or skateboarding | % of children and youth who use active transportation to get to and from places (e.g., school, park, mall, friend’s house) | C* | C* | C* | – |
Organized Sport Participation A subset of physical activity that is structured, goal-oriented, competitive and contest-based | % of children and youth who participate in organized sport and/or physical activity programs | B−* | C+* | B* | – |
Sedentary Behaviors (Screen Time) Any waking behavior characterized by an energy expenditure of 1 to 1.5 metabolic equivalents, while in a sitting, reclining or lying posture | % of children and youth who meet the Canadian Sedentary Behavior Guidelines (5- to 17-year olds: no more than 2 h of recreational screen time per day). Note: The Guidelines currently provide a time limit recommendation for screen-related pursuits, but not for nonscreen-related pursuits | C* | C* | C−* | – |
Physical Fitness Characteristics that permit a good performance of a given physical task in a specified physical, social, and psychological environment | Average percentile achieved on certain Physical Fitness indicators (sit-ups, sit & reach, and handgrip strength) based on the normative values published by Tomkinson et al. (2018) | D+** | C−** | D+** | – |
Overweight and Obesity | – | INC | INC | INC | INC |
Family and Peers Any member within the family who can control or influence the physical activity opportunities and participation of children and youth in this environment | % of family members (e.g., parents, guardians) who facilitate physical activity and sport opportunities for their children (e.g., volunteering, coaching, driving, paying for membership fees and equipment). % of parents who meet the Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health, which recommend that adults accumulate at least 150 min of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or do at least 75 min of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity. % of family members (e.g., parents, guardians) who are physically active with their kids. % of children and youth with friends and peers who encourage and support them to be physically active. % of children and youth who encourage and support their friends and peers to be physically active | C* | C* | C* | – |
School Any policies, organizational factors (e.g., infrastructure, accountability for policy implementation) or student factors (e.g., physical activity options based on age, gender or ethnicity) in the school environment that can influence the physical activity opportunities and participation of children and youth in this environment | % of schools with active school policies (e.g., daily physical education (PE), daily physical activity, recess, “everyone plays” approach, bike racks at school, traffic calming on school property, outdoor time). % of schools where the majority (≥ 80%) of students are taught by a PE specialist. % of schools where the majority (≥ 80%) of students are offered the mandated amount of PE (for the given state/territory/region/country). % of schools that offer physical activity opportunities (excluding PE) to the majority (> 80%) of their students. % of parents who report their children and youth have access to physical activity opportunities at school in addition to PE classes. % of schools with students who have regular access to facilities and equipment that support physical activity (e.g., gymnasium, outdoor playgrounds, sporting fields, multipurpose space for physical activity, equipment in good condition) | B−* | B−* | B−* | – |
Community and Environment Any policies or organizational factors (e.g., infrastructure, accountability for policy implementation) in the municipal environment that can influence the physical activity opportunities and participation of children and youth in this environment | % of children or parents who perceive their community/municipality is doing a good job at promoting physical activity (e.g., variety, location, cost, quality). % of communities/municipalities that report they have policies promoting physical activity. % of communities/municipalities that report they have infrastructure (e.g., sidewalks, trails, paths, bike lanes) specifically geared toward promoting physical activity. % of children or parents who report having facilities, programs, parks, and playgrounds available to them in their community. % of children or parents who report living in a safe neighborhood where they can be physically active. % of children or parents who report having well-maintained facilities, parks, and playgrounds | B−* | B−* | B−* | – |
Government Any governmental body with authority to influence physical activity opportunities or participation of children and youth through policy, legislation or regulation | Evidence of leadership and commitment in providing physical activity opportunities for all children and youth. Allocated funds and resources for the implementation of physical activity promotion strategies and initiatives for all children and youth. Demonstrated progress through the key stages of public policy making (i.e., policy agenda, policy formation, policy implementation, policy evaluation and decisions about the future) | INC | INC | INC | INC |
Results
Survey | Data assessment method | Age | N | Indicator(s) no. |
---|---|---|---|---|
MoMo (Wave 2) (2003–2006) Nationally representative | Survey specific questionnaire (MoMo-PAQ and accelerometry: Actigraph GT3X+) | 4–17 years old | 4528 | Overall PA Organized Sport Active Play Active Transportation Sedentary behavior Physical Fitness |
MoMo (Wave 1) (2009–2012) Nationally representative | Survey specific questionnaire (MoMo-PAQ) | 4–17 years old | 8522 | Family and Peers School |
KiGGS (Wave 0 + 1) (2003–2006 + 2009–2012) Nationally representative | Survey specific questionnaire (MoMo-PAQ) Parent report up to 11 years and self-report from the age of 11 years | 6–16 years old | 3505 | Organized Sport |
KiGGS Wave 2 (2014–2017) Nationally representative | Survey specific questionnaire (MoMo-PAQ) | 3–17 years old | 15,023 | Overall Physical Activity Community and Environment |
Kinderreport (2020) Nationally representative | Only self-report data | 10–17 years old Adults (18 years and older) | 624 1022 | Community and Environment |
HBSC Study (2017/2018) Nationally representative | HBSC questionnaire (similar to KiGGS) | 11, 13, and 15 years old | 4299 | Overall Physical Activity |
HBSC school directors (2009–2010) Nationally representative | Self-report data | – | 273 school directors | School |
AID:A (2014) Nationally representative | Survey specific questionnaire | 7–18 years old | 6765 | Organized Sport and Physical Activity |
National Education Panel Study (2015) | Self-report data | School class 9 | 16,238 | Organized Sport and Physical Activity |
LIFE Child study (2019) Regional (Leipzig) | Survey specific questionnaire | 10–18 years old | 1449 | Active Play |
MiD (2019) nationwide data | Survey specific questionnaire | 6–17 years old | > 300,000 | Active Transportation |
Scheiner, Huber, and Lohmüller (2019) Regional (Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia) | Survey specific questionnaire | 6–10 years old | 1064 | Active Transportation |
Fuldaer Bewegungs-Check (2014–2020) Representative for Fulda | Endurance (6 min run), Flexibility (stand & reach), Strength (hand strength, push-ups, sit-ups), and Coordination (balancing, jumping sideways) | 7–9 years old | 3527 | Physical Fitness |
KOMPASS-2-Studie Leipzig (2014–2018) Representative for Leipzig | Endurance (6 min run), Flexibility (stand & reach), Strength (push-ups, sit-ups), and Coordination (balancing, jumping sideways) | 7–10 years old | 3798 | Physical Fitness |
Fitness-Barometer Baden-Württemberg (2012–2018) Representative for Baden-Württemberg | Endurance (6 min run), Flexibility (stand & reach), Strength (push-ups, sit-ups, broad jump), Coordination (balancing, jumping sideways) | 6–10 years old | 6266–6563 | Physical Fitness |
Motorische Tests für NRW (2015–2018) Representative for NRW | Endurance (6 min run), Flexibility (stand & reach), Strength (push-ups, sit-ups) Coordination (balancing, jumping sideways) | 9–10 years old | 15,139 | Physical Fitness |
EMOTIKON-Projekt (2015–2019) Representative for Brandenburg | Flexibility (Stand & reach), endurance (6 min run) | 8 years old | 18,434 | Physical Fitness |
LIFE Child Leipzig (2015–2019) Representative for Leipzig | Flexibility (stand & reach, sit & reach) Strength (push-ups), Coordination (balancing, jumping sideways) | 6–10 years old | 915 | Physical Fitness |
Fitness Olympics Cologne (2015–2019) Representative for Cologne | Flexibility (stand & reach), Strength (sit ups), Coordination (jumping sideways) | 6–10 years old | 7752 | Physical Fitness |
Berlin hat Talent (2015–2020) Representative for Berlin | Endurance (6 min run), flexibility (stand & reach), Strength (push-ups, sit-ups), Coordination (balancing, jumping sideways) | 6–10 years old | 39,563 | Physical Fitness |
Mutz and Albrecht (2017) Regional (Göttingen) | Self-report data | 8 years old | 150 | Family and Peers |
Family and Health-Study (2014) Regional (Konstanz) | Self-report data | 14 years old | 198 | Family and Peers |
Schoeppe et al. (2016) Regional (Göttingen) | Self-report data | 11 years old | 737 | Family and Peers |
Healthy Boat (Erkelenz) (2014) Regional (Ulm) | Self-report data | 7 years old | 1875 | Family and Peers |
AOK Familien-Studie (2018) Nationally representative | Self-report data | 4–14 years old | 4896 | Family and Peers |