To conduct a service evaluation of the physical activity levels of children admitted to a large tertiary hospital.
Approach:
Study Design: A cross-sectional observational service evaluation was conducted, measuring PA levels using accelerometry in a random subset of children aged 7–16 years admitted to one hospital, who were deemed well enough to participate by an experienced children’s physiotherapist.
Data Collection: Data on daily step counts and time spent in varying intensities of PA were collected over a 6-month period, with exclusions for insufficient accelerometer wear time (less than 10 hours).
Key Findings:
79 families were approached, with 22 declining participation (34.18%).
Median step count was 766, with children spending an average of 668.48 minutes in sedentary behavior.
Children engaged in a median of 123 minutes of light PA, 9 minutes of moderate PA, and 0 minutes of vigorous PA.
A small negative correlation was found between time since admission and step count (r(142)= −0.22, p=0.00963).
Interpretation:
PA levels were notably low among hospitalized children, consistent with previous reports, suggesting a potential impact of hospitalization on activity levels.
Limitations:
The study is limited to one center and had a relatively high decline rate from families, which affects the generalizability of the findings due to the specific hospital environment.
Conclusion:
The findings highlight concerns regarding low PA levels in hospitalized children and suggest a need for further investigation into the impact of hospital culture on activity.
