Abstract
Background and rationale: Having sufficient physical activity (PA), as recommended by the World
Health Organization, is necessary for developing motor skills and physical fitness of children and youth
and reducing risks of non-communicable diseases when entering adulthood. Over the past years, there
has been a large amount of research and development of PA knowledge in Thailand, but the research
gaps and clear directions for future research have not been analyzed and identified. Objective: To
investigate research topics conducted in the past and identify research gaps in PA among Thai children
and youth aged 0-22 years and provide future research suggestions. Methodology: This study applied a
systematic review by searching research articles from Thai and international databases. The review
included studies on PA in Thai healthy children and youth aged 0-22 years written in Thai or English and
published during 2009-2019. The quality of the studies was assessed using a standard checklist. Descriptive
statistics and content analysis were used for data analysis. Result: A total of 79 studies were qualified
and included in the review. The least age groups represented in the review were children aged 0-5
years (1.3%). There was a low number of studies in the areas concerning the association between PA and
cognitive functioning, physical environment, and sociological-cultural factors. Areas that had not been
investigated were the associations between PA and mental health, socio-economic status, and technology
for promoting PA. Recommendation: Researchers should consider conducting studies that have
been identified as gaps of the research in this field to provide comprehensive information for the development
of policies and programs to encourage Thai children and youth to have sufficient PA and adopt
PA as part of their lifestyle.
