Objective To analyze the characteristics of the time-activity pattern of primary school students aged 9-11 years in Guangzhou, China.

Methods A questionnaire survey on the time-activity pattern was conducted in a valid sample size of 1 946 students using stratified cluster sampling in November 2018. The activity time of various groups in different places was described using descriptive statistics and non-parametric statistical tests. The differences in time-activity patterns classified by day, region, and season were investigated by comparative analysis.

Results The median daily time spent in different places by primary school students aged 9-11 years in Guangzhou was as follows: on rest days, they spent 900 min indoors at home, 120 min outdoors at home, 120 min indoors in classrooms, 0 min outdoors in classrooms, 60 min in transportation-related places, 90 min indoors in other public places, and 90 min outdoors in other public places. On workdays, the median daily time allocation was 750 min indoors at home, 60 min outdoors at home, 390 min indoors in classrooms, 60 min outdoors in classrooms, 45 min in transportation-related places, 30 min indoors in other public places, and 45 min outdoors in other public places. There were significant differences in time spending in transportation among students in urban areas (60 min/d), suburbs (45 min/d), and outer suburbs (30 min/d) during workdays. During autumn and winter, students tended to spend more time in indoor residence compared with spring and summer (825 min/d vs 810 min/d). Conversely, students spent more time in other outdoor places in spring and summer compared with autumn and winter (75 min/d vs 60 min/d).

Conclusion The time-activity pattern of primary school students aged 9-11 years in Guangzhou is significantly affected by day, region, and season. Appropriate parameters should be selected according to the corresponding research objective when using the time-activity pattern parameters.