Physical Activity Levels in Children of an Old Order Amish Community

Differences in physical activity are thought to contribute to disparities in childhood obesity rates among industrialized nations. In addition, declining levels of physical activity may be contributing to the increasing rates of childhood obesity found in most modern societies. Thus, it is interesting to study activity levels in a group that refrains from using modern technology. PURPOSE: To obtain objective measurements of physical activity and body mass index (BMI) in Old Order Amish children living in Ontario, Canada. METHODS: 139 children (6–18 years of age) were recruited for the study. Height and body mass were measured at five 1-room schoolhouses. The school-age children wore sealed Yamax SW-200 pedometers for 7 days, and on each school day, research assistants opened the pedometers, recorded steps, re-sealed them, and placed them back on the children. Amish schools end after 8th grade, so we asked the older children to record their steps on a pedometer log sheet. RESULTS: The average steps per day (mean + SE) are shown below:TableTwo-way ANOVAs showed significant gender effects for all 3 of the step variables (P <0.001), but no significant age effects. There was also a trend towards a significant age × gender interaction for weekday steps (P=0.089). Overall, 7.2% of the children were overweight, and 1.4% were obese, according to the new definitions of child overweight and obesity (Cole TJ et al., British Medical Journal, 2005). CONCLUSION: The Amish children had high levels of pedometer-measured activity, and low rates of obesity. By comparing our results to those of studies conducted in modern societies on three continents, it appears that these Amish children are more physically active and have lower rates of obesity than children living in modern, industrialized societies.