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• Kenyan comparison
  Alexander R Gibson
  Published on: 23 November 2015

• Published on: 23 November 2015

  Kenyan comparison

  • Alexander R Gibson, Doctor
  • Other Contributors:
    • Dr. Yannis Pitsiladis

  We read the well-presented article by Griffiths et al.(1) published recently in BMJ Open with much interest. This paper supports the general consensus that children in the United Kingdom (and incidentally throughout the developed world) are not sufficiently active with potential detrimental short- and long-term health effects. The data presented are particularly sobering in light of our recently published research carried...

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  We read the well-presented article by Griffiths et al.(1) published recently in BMJ Open with much interest. This paper supports the general consensus that children in the United Kingdom (and incidentally throughout the developed world) are not sufficiently active with potential detrimental short- and long-term health effects. The data presented are particularly sobering in light of our recently published research carried out in Kenya.(2) We studied a smaller and older cohort (mean age 14 +/- 1 years) using the same accelerometer cut points thus enabling appropriate comparison. The most striking difference in the Kenyan adolescents was in mean moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA); 140 +/- 25 min for the girls and 173 +/- 34 min for the boys, with significant differences observed between the sexes. Mean counts per minute (cpm) were also significantly higher in the Kenyan cohort; 1032 +/- 152 cpm and 1264 +/- 268 cpm for the girls and boys, respectively. However, mean time spent in sedentary activities was higher in Kenyan adolescents; for the girls this was 6.82 hours and the boys 6.73 hours. The Kenyan adolescents also had high daily/activity-induced energy expenditure and exceptionally high aerobic fitness.(2, 3)

  Whilst the Kenyan adolescents we sampled are not necessarily representative of Kenya and irrespective of any methodological differences between our studies, the magnitude of the differences reported between Kenya and the United Kingdom are stark and most likely reflect vastly different socio-cultural, economic and environmental factors. Notably daily walking and/or running to school (7.5 +/- 3.0 km) and fairly demanding agricultural and household chores were routinely observed in the Kenyan group on a daily basis. On the basis of these important observations, it is tempting to speculate that the main contenders in increased sedentary time, excessive use of computers/games and television viewing, may represent a "red herring" and not the primary factors responsible for the obesity epidemic. What may be required instead is a far greater focus on population-wide interventions to promote physical activity. Examining the journey to school and urban environments in general, as highlighted by Griffiths et al.(1) and revealed to us by our Kenyan peers, may be of particular importance.

  1. Griffiths LJ, Cortina-Borja M, Sera F, et al. How active are our children? Findings from the Millennium Cohort Study. BMJ Open 2013;3:e002893.

  2. Ojiambo R, Gibson AR, Konstabel K, et al. Free-living physical activity and energy expenditure of rural children and adolescents in the Nandi region of Kenya. Ann Hum Biol 2013;40(4):318-323.

  3. Gibson AR, Ojiambo R, Konstabel K, et al. Aerobic Capacity, activity levels and daily energy expenditure in male and female adolescents of the Kenyan Nandi sub-group. PLoS ONE 2013;8(6):e66552.

  Conflict of Interest:

  None declared

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  Conflict of Interest:
  None declared.

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