Economic Freedom, Climate Culpability, and Physical Activity Indicators Among Children and Adolescents: Report Card Grades From the Global Matrix 4.0.
Eun-Young Lee, Patrick Abi Nader, Salomé Aubert, Silvia A González, Peter T Katzmarzyk, Asaduzzaman Khan, Wendy Y Huang, Taru Manyanga, Shawnda Morrison, Diego Augusto Santos Silva, Mark S Tremblay
Author Information
Eun-Young Lee: School of Kinesiology and Health Studies (cross-appointment with the Department of Gender Studies), Queen's University, Kingston, ON,Canada. ORCID
Patrick Abi Nader: Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, QC,Canada. ORCID
Salomé Aubert: Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance, Ottawa, ON,Canada.
Silvia A González: Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON,Canada. ORCID
Peter T Katzmarzyk: Pennigton Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA,USA. ORCID
Asaduzzaman Khan: School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD,Australia.
Wendy Y Huang: Department of Sport, Physical Education and Health, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong,China. ORCID
Taru Manyanga: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine (cross-appointment with the Division of Medical Sciences), University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC,Canada. ORCID
Shawnda Morrison: Faculty of Sport, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana,Slovenia. ORCID
Diego Augusto Santos Silva: Research Center in Kinanthropometry and Human Performance, Sports Center, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC,Brazil.
Mark S Tremblay: Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON,Canada.
BACKGROUND: Macrolevel factors such as economic and climate factors can be associated with physical activity indicators. This study explored patterns and relationships between economic freedom, climate culpability, and Report Card grades on physical activity-related indicators among 57 countries/jurisdictions participating in the Global Matrix 4.0. METHODS: Participating countries/jurisdictions provided Report Card grades on 10 common indicators. Information on economic freedom and climatic factors were gathered from public data sources. Correlations between the key variables were provided by income groups (ie, low- and middle-income countries/jurisdictions and high-income countries/jurisdictions [HIC]). RESULTS: HIC were more economically neoliberal and more responsible for climate change than low- and middle-income countries. Annual temperature and precipitation were negatively correlated with behavioral/individual indicators in low- and middle-income countries but not in HIC. In HIC, correlations between climate culpability and behavioral/individual and economic indicators were more apparent. Overall, poorer grades were observed in highly culpable countries/jurisdictions in the highly free group, while in less/moderately free groups, less culpable countries/jurisdictions showed poorer grades than their counterparts in their respective group by economic freedom. CONCLUSIONS: Global-level physical activity promotion strategies should closely evaluate different areas that need interventions tailored by income groups, with careful considerations for inequities in the global political economy and climate change.
