Physical Activity Patterns of Adolescents in Rural India: An Examination of Gender Differences

Sharanya Thummalapally, Emory University
Shailaja Patil
Delia Lang, Emory University
Solveig Argeseanu Cunningham, Emory University

Objective: To characterize physical activity patterns of school-going adolescents in rural India to examine potential gender differences. Methods: 395 boys and girls aged 13 to 16 were sampled from 6 schools in Bijapur, India. Participants completed 24-hour time-use surveys and home environment questionnaires. Twenty activities from the survey were considered physical activities and grouped into activity domains. Mean duration and percent participation were calculated for each activity and activity domain. Results: Both boys and girls engaged in about 2 hours of daily physical activity. More girls reported household activities than boys (51% vs 19%), and spent more time in these activities (41min vs 13min). Boys spent more time than girls playing outdoors and biking. Conclusions: Cultural gender norms seem to influence physical activity behaviors. Though boys and girls did not differ in overall duration of physical activity, gender differences exist in types of physical activities engaged in.