Table 4.
Comparative annuaslised rates of change in fatness and fitness metrics by socio-demographic categories: holiday vs. in-school periods
| Predictor | %BF | P | zBMI | p | Waist:Ht% | p | VO2max | p | SBJ | p | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time*Sex | Holidays vs Grade 4*Male | -2.0 | 0.75 | 0.6 | 0.43 | -8.2 | 0.20 | 7.4 | 0.18 | -14.2 | 0.69 | |
| Ref = Female | (-14.1 to 10.2) | (-0.9 to 2.2) | (-20.6 to 4.2) | (-3.4 to 18.1) | (-84.6 to 56.2) | |||||||
| Holidays vs Grade 5*Male | -3.7 | 0.55 | 0.3 | 0.69 | -7.0 | 0.27 | 8.1 | 0.15 | -14.6 | 0.68 | ||
| (-15.9 to 8.4) | (-1.2 to 1.9) | (-19.5 to 5.5) | (-2.8 18.9) | (-85.0 to 55.8) | ||||||||
| Time*SES | Holidays vs Grade 4*SES | -7.5 | 0.045 | -0.7 | 0.13 | -1.5 | 0.69 | -0.6 | 0.84 | -5.0 | 0.79 | |
| (-14.8 to -0.2) | (-1.6 to 0.2) | (-8.7 to 5.8) | (-6.5 to 5.3) | (-41.4 to 31.4) | ||||||||
| Holidays vs Grade 5*SES | -9.4 | 0.01 | -0.9 | 0.04 | -2.9 | 0.44 | -2.6 | 0.38 | -6.1 | 0.74 | ||
| (-16.8 to -2.1) | (-1.8 to -0.0) | (-10.2 to 4.4) | (-8.6 to 3.3) | (-42.5 to 30.3) | ||||||||
| Time* | Holidays vs Grade 4* Early | -12.8 | 0.02 | -1.4 | 0.046 | -12 | 0.04 | -5.4 | 0.25 | -9.2 | 0.75 | |
| Puberty | (-23.9 to -1.8) | (-2.7 to -0.0) | (-23.2 to -0.8) | (-14.6 to 3.9) | (-65.0 to 46.5) | |||||||
| Ref = Mid | ||||||||||||
| Holidays vs Grade 5* Early | -10.8 | 0.06 | -1.2 | 0.08 | -10.9 | 0.06 | -4.6 | 0.33 | 3.3 | 0.91 | ||
| (-21.9 to 0.3) | (-2.5 to 0.1) | (-22.2 to 0.5) | (-13.9 to 4.7) | (-52.4 to 59.0) | ||||||||
| Holidays vs Grade 4* Pre | 0.2 | 0.98 | -0.5 | 0.58 | 12.2 | 0.08 | -12.9 | 0.03 | 50 | 0.19 | ||
| (-13.0 to -13.3) | (-2.1 to 1.2) | (-1.5 to 25.9) | (-24.5 to -1.3) | (-25.5 to 125.4) | ||||||||
| Holidays vs Grade 5* Pre | 3.2 | 0.64 | 0.0 | 0.98 | 11.6 | 0.10 | -13.2 | 0.03 | 61.5 | 0.11 | ||
| (-10.1 to 16.4) | (-1.7 to 1.6) | (-2.2 to 25.4) | (-24.8 to -1.5) | (-13.9 to 137.0) | ||||||||
| Time* | Holidays vs Grade 4* | 11.2 | 0.03 | 0.9 | 0.14 | 3.1 | 0.55 | -11.3 | 0.01 | 3.48 | 0.90 | |
| Weight Status | Overweight | (1.3 to 21.1) | (-0.3 to 2.1) | (-7.1 to 13.3) | (-20.2 to 2.4) | (-50.2 to 57.1) | ||||||
| Ref = Normal | Holidays vs Grade 5* Overweight | 11.9 | 0.02 | 0.9 | 0.13 | 3.1 | 0.55 | -11.8 | 0.01 | 5.9 | 0.830 | |
| (0.19 to 21.8) | (-0.3 to 2.1) | (-7.1 to 13.3) | (-20.8 to -2.8) | (-47.8 to 59.5) | ||||||||
| Holidays vs Grade 4* Obese | 4.4 | 0.53 | 0.2 | 0.82 | 4.9 | 0.47 | -4.0 | 0.56 | 8.8 | 0.81 | ||
| (-9.2 to 17.9) | (-1.4 to 1.8) | (-8.6 to 18.5) | (-17.1 to 9.2) | (-62.2 to 79.7) | ||||||||
| Holidays vs Grade 5* Obese | 6.1 | 0.38 | 0.4 | 0.61 | 7.1 | 0.31 | -7.8 | 0.25 | 8.0 | 0.83 | ||
| (-7.5 to 19.7) | (-1.2 to 2.0) | (-6.5 to 20.7) | (-21.0 to 5.4) | (-63.0 to 78.9) |
The table delineates the variations in annualised rates of change (accompanied by 95% CIs) during the holiday period, contrasted against the Grade 4 and Grade 5 in-school periods, segmented by socio-demographic categories. For instance, in the context of body fat percentage (%BF), the rate of change during the holidays compared to the Grade 5 in-school period was notably higher (p = 0.020) in overweight children by + 11.9%BF/year when compared to normal-weight children (who serve as the reference category). In terms of Socioeconomic Status (SES), a 1 SD increase in the SES z-score was associated with a decrease of 9.4%BF/year in the rate of change in %BF during holidays versus the Grade 5 in-school period.
Models were mutually adjusted for all covariates, and random intercepts were used to account for nesting of observations within participants, within schools, within study waves. Note: p < 0.05 shown in boldface
Abbreviations: SES = socioeconomic status; Wt status = weight status; %BF = percentage body fat; SBJ = standing broad jump (cm); V̇O2max = maximal aerobic power (ml/kg/min); Waist:Ht% = waist-to-height ratio (as a percentage); zBMI = BMI z-score