Patterns of GPS measured time outdoors after school and objective physical activity in English children: the PEACH project

Background: Observational studies have shown a positive association between time outdoors and physical activity in children. Time outdoors may be a feasible intervention target to increase the physical activity of youth, but methods are required to accurately measure time spent outdoors in a range of locations and over a sustained period. The Global Positioning System (GPS) provides precise location data and can be used to identify when an individual is outdoors. The aim of this study was to investigate whether GPS data recorded outdoors were associated with objectively measured physical activity. Methods: Participants were 1010 children (11.0 +/- 0.4 years) recruited from 23 urban primary schools in South West England, measured between September 2006 and July 2008. Physical activity was measured by accelerometry (Actigraph GT1M) and children wore a GPS receiver (Garmin Foretrex 201) after school on four weekdays to record time outdoors. Accelerometer and GPS data were recorded at 10 second epochs and were combined to describe patterns of physical activity when both a GPS and accelerometer record were present (outdoors) and when there was accelerometer data only (indoors). ANOVA was used to investigate gender and seasonal differences in the patterns of outdoor and indoor physical activity, and linear regression was used to examine the cross-sectional associations between GPS-measured time outdoors and physical activity. Results: GPS-measured time outdoors was a significant independent predictor of children's physical activity after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Physical activity was more than 2.5 fold higher outdoors than indoors (1345.8 +/- 907.3 vs 508.9 +/- 282.9 counts per minute; F = 783.2, p < .001). Overall, children recorded 41.7 +/- 46.1 minutes outdoors between 3.30 pm and 8.30 pm, with more time spent outdoors in the summer months (p < .001). There was no gender difference in time spent outdoors. Physical activity outdoors was higher in the summer than the winter (p < .001), whilst there was no seasonal variation in physical activity indoors. Conclusions: Duration of GPS recording is positively associated with objectively measured physical activity and is sensitive to seasonal differences. Minute by minute patterning of GPS and physical activity data is feasible and may be a useful tool to investigate environmental influences on children's physical activity and to identify opportunities for intervention.