Physical activity level of Thai children and youth: Evidence from Thailand's 2018 report card on physical activity for children and youth

Abstract

Background: While enabling and supporting factors have been in place to facilitate the pupils to be more active, only a fourth of Thai children have met the WHO recommendation. Objective: This study aims to present the physical activity (PA) level of Thai children and youth, based on the indicators established by Active Health Kids Global Alliance's Report Card (RC). Methods: The 2016 Thailand RC Survey and the 2015–2017 Thailand's Surveillance on Physical Activity (SPA) were employed for the analysis. PA of Thai children aged 6–17 years old was assessed in 9 aspects 1) Overall PA, 2) Organized Sports and PA, 3) Active Play, 4) Active Transportation, 5) Sedentary Behavior, 6) Family and Peers, 7) School, 8) Community and Environment, and 9) Government. Results: Only 26.2% of Thai children and youth met the recommended level of 60 min MVPA. Boys are generally more active compared to girls in all age groups (34.9% versus 16.3%, respectively). Almost half had participated in organized sports and/or PA program, but only 8.7% of Thai children and youth engaged in unstructured/unorganized active play. The settings and source of influence indicators achieved better grades, shown by 71.0% of family members (e.g., parents, guardians) facilitated PA and sports opportunities for their children. Conclusion: Although schools’ facilities are available, Thai curriculum provides less opportunity for the children to move during classes and have enough playing time during recess. As there is no standardized guidance for PA in Thai schools, Thailand needs to promote a unified PA in order to improve PA and to reduce recreational screen time of children and youth.