Pretorius, AdelineWood, Paola SilviaBecker, Piet J.Wenhold, Friedeburg Anna Maria2022-12-132022-12-132022-08-11Pretorius, A.; Wood, P.; Becker, P.; Wenhold, F. Physical Activity and Related Factors in Pre-Adolescent Southern African Children of Diverse Population Groups. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2022, 19, 9912. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169912.1660-4601 (online)1661-7827 (print)10.3390/ijerph19169912https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/88747Tailored obesity management includes understanding physical activity (PA) and its context, ideally in childhood before the onset of health risk. This cross-sectional study determined, by sex and population, the PA of Southern African pre-adolescent urban primary school children. PA was measured objectively (step count: pedometer) and subjectively (Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children [PAQ-C]), taking confounders (phenotype, school-built environment, and socio-economic environment) into account. Body composition was measured with multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (Seca mBCA). PA was adjusted for phenotypic confounders (body size and composition) using multivariate regression. Sex and population differences in PA were determined with two-way ANOVA. Ninety-four healthy pre-adolescents (60% girls, 52% black) with a similar socio-economic status and access to PA participated. Amidst phenotypic differences, average steps/day in girls (10,212) was lower than in boys (11,433) (p = 0.029), and lower in black (9280) than in white (12,258) (p < 0.001) participants. PAQ-C scores (5-point rating) were lower for girls (2.63) than boys (2.92) (p < 0.001) but higher for black (2.89) than white (2.58) (p < 0.001) participants. Objective and subjective measurements were, however, not significantly (r = −0.02; p = 0.876) related and PAQ-C failed to identify reactive changes in the step count. Objectively measured PA of black participants and of girls was consistently lower than for white participants and boys. Target-group specific interventions should therefore be considered.en© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).Physical activityPre-adolescentObjective measurementSubjective measurementBody compositionObesitySDG-03: Good health and well-beingSDG-04: Quality educationSDG-10: Reduced inequalitiesSDG-11: Sustainable cities and communitiesArticle