Exploring Gender-Based Correlates of Physical Activity in School-Age Children: A Worldwide Perspective

Statistics from the last few decades reveal drastic increases in childhood obesity in many nations (Vincent, Pangrazi, Raustorp, Tomson, & Cuddihy, 2003). On an international scale, inappropriate nutrition/diet, genetics, and physical inactivity among children are cited as key contributors to this obesity epidemic (Garcia, Garcia, Floyd, & Lawson, 2002). The positive correlation between inactivity and obesity has been documented for many years. Inactive children as young as 3-4 years of age are more likely to remain inactive compared to their more-active peers (Pate, Baranowski, Dowda, & Trost, 1996). As a result, they are more likely to experience health problems later in childhood and as adults (Trost et al., 2002).