Gender and socio-economic differences in physical activity and fitness among rural Bangladeshi adolescents: a cross-sectional study from the 15-year follow-up of MINIMat cohort.
Islam M, Delisle Nyström C, et al. • Scientific reports • 2026
Gender and socio-economic differences in physical activity and fitness were observed among rural Bangladeshi adolescents, with girls and adolescents from relatively affluent and educated households demonstrating lower activity and fitness levels.
Key Findings
Results
Approximately 58% of rural Bangladeshi adolescents met the recommended threshold of at least 60 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
Sample consisted of 2465 adolescents who completed the household survey, with 2253 attending the PA and fitness assessment
Valid accelerometry data were available for 1872 adolescents
Accelerometers required at least 5 days with at least 600 min/day awake wear time to be considered valid
The cohort was drawn from the 15-year follow-up of the MINIMat (Maternal and Infant Nutrition Interventions in Matlab) cohort in southeast Bangladesh
Results
Sedentary time was significantly higher among girls than boys after adjusting for socio-demographic variables.
Girls had 644 min/day of sedentary time compared to 635 min/day among boys (p < 0.001)
Sedentary time was measured using wrist-worn triaxial accelerometers with a dynamic range of ±8G
Multiple multivariable-adjusted linear regression models were used to derive predicted means
Results
Boys engaged in significantly more vigorous physical activity than girls, while girls had higher moderate physical activity levels.
Vigorous PA was 4 min/day for boys versus 1 min/day for girls (p < 0.001)
Moderate PA was higher among girls than boys (66 vs. 64 min/day; p = 0.007)
Moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) did not vary significantly by gender
Results
Socio-economically disadvantaged adolescents had higher moderate-to-vigorous physical activity than those from wealthier households.
MVPA was higher among adolescents from the poorest households compared to those from the wealthiest households
Sedentary time was higher in adolescents from the wealthiest households than the poorest (648 vs. 631 min/day; p < 0.001)
Adolescents with educated mothers had higher sedentary time compared to those with mothers without formal education (646 vs. 636 min/day; p = 0.005)
Results
Boys demonstrated significantly higher fitness levels than girls across all three fitness indicators assessed.
Weight-normalized grip strength was higher in boys than girls (predicted means: 0.66 vs. 0.51)
Standing long jump distance was greater in boys than girls (160.2 vs. 126.3 cm)
Aerobic capacity (VO2max) was higher in boys than girls (34.8 vs. 33.2 mL/kg/minute)
Fitness indicators assessed were handgrip strength, standing long jump distance, and aerobic capacity (VO2max)
Results
Adolescents from the wealthiest households had lower muscular fitness than those from the poorest households.
This inverse relationship between household wealth and muscular fitness was observed after multivariable adjustment
Fitness measures included handgrip strength and standing long jump distance as indicators of muscular fitness
This finding parallels the pattern seen with physical activity, where wealthier adolescents were also less active
Results
Sedentary time was higher among adolescents with educated mothers compared to those whose mothers had no formal education.
Adolescents with educated mothers had 646 min/day of sedentary time versus 636 min/day for those with mothers without formal education (p = 0.005)
Maternal education was used as a socio-economic indicator alongside household wealth
These associations were derived from multivariable-adjusted linear regression models
What This Means
This research suggests that among teenagers in rural Bangladesh, there are meaningful differences in how physically active they are and how physically fit they are, depending on their gender and family background. Girls tended to sit more and engage in less vigorous exercise than boys, though girls did slightly more moderate-intensity activity. Boys scored higher on all fitness tests, including grip strength, jumping distance, and aerobic fitness. About 58% of all adolescents met the recommended guideline of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per day.
Surprisingly, this research suggests that teenagers from wealthier families and those with more educated mothers were actually less physically active and less fit than those from poorer, less-educated households. Wealthier and better-educated families had adolescents who spent more time being sedentary, and those from the poorest households were more active and had better muscular fitness. This may reflect the fact that poorer adolescents engage in more physical labor as part of daily life, while wealthier adolescents may have more access to screen-based entertainment and less need for physical work.
This research matters because it highlights that promoting physical activity among rural Bangladeshi adolescents cannot use a one-size-fits-all approach. Girls and adolescents from relatively better-off families may need targeted strategies to increase their activity levels and fitness. Understanding these patterns in low-income settings is important since most research on youth physical activity comes from wealthier countries, and the factors driving inactivity may be quite different in rural South Asian contexts.
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Islam M, Delisle Nyström C, Krebs P, Löf M, Rahman S, Ekström E, et al.. (2026). Gender and socio-economic differences in physical activity and fitness among rural Bangladeshi adolescents: a cross-sectional study from the 15-year follow-up of MINIMat cohort.. Scientific reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-70291-1