Multidimensional correlates of preschool children\u27s physical activity

This thesis identified a number of factors which are associated with preschool children&rsquo;s physical activity and were previously unexplored. The findings are important as they help identify possible targets for interventions to support healthy levels of physical activity in young children.<br /

Children\u27s physical activity and screen time : qualitative comparison of views of parents of infants and preschool children

BackgroundWhile parents are central to the development of behaviours in their young children, little is known about how parents view their role in shaping physical activity and screen time behaviours.MethodsUsing an unstructured focus group design, parental views and practices around children&prime;s physical activity and screen time (television and computer use) were explored with eight groups of new parents (n=61; child age &lt;12 months) and eight groups of parents with preschool-aged (3&ndash;5 year old) children (n=36) in Melbourne, Australia.ResultsParents generally believed children are naturally active, which may preclude their engagement in strategies designed to increase physical activity. While parents across both age groups shared many overarching views concerning parenting for children&prime;s physical activity and screen time behaviours, some strategies and barriers differed depending on the age of the child. While most new parents were optimistic about their ability to positively influence their child&prime;s behaviours, many parents of preschool-aged children seemed more resigned to strategies that worked for them, even when aware such strategies may not be ideal.ConclusionsInterventions aiming to increase children&prime;s physical activity and decrease screen time may need to tailor strategies to the age group of the child and address parents&prime; misconceptions and barriers to optimum parenting in these domains.<br /

Contribution of the after-school period to children’s daily participation in physical activity and sedentary behaviours

Objectives: Children&rsquo;s after-school physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviours (SB) are not well understood, despite the potential this period holds for intervention. This study aimed to describe children&rsquo;s after-school physical activity and sedentary behaviours; establish the contribution this makes to daily participation and to achieving physical activity and sedentary behaviours guidelines; and to determine the association between after-school moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA), screen-based sedentary behaviours and achieving the physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines.Methods: Children (n=406, mean age 8.1 years, 58% girls) wore an ActiGraph GT3X accelerometer. The percentage of time and minutes spent sedentary (SED), in light- physical activity (LPA) and MVPA between the end-of-school and 6pm (weekdays) was calculated. Parents (n=318, 40 years, 89% female) proxy-reported their child&rsquo;s after-school participation in screen-based sedentary behaviours. The contribution that after-school SED, LPA, MVPA, and screen-based sedentary behaviours made to daily levels, and that after-school MVPA and screen-based sedentary behaviours made to achieving the physical activity/sedentary behaviour guidelines was calculated. Regression analysis determined the association between after-school MVPA and screen-based sedentary behaviours and achieving the physical activity/sedentary behaviours guidelines.Results: Children spent 54% of the after-school period SED and this accounted for 21% of children&rsquo;s daily SED levels. Boys spent a greater percentage of time in MVPA than girls (14.9% vs. 13.6%; p&lt;0.05) but this made a smaller contribution to their daily levels (27.6% vs 29.8%; p&lt;0.05). After school, boys and girls respectively performed 18.8 minutes and 16.7 minutes of MVPA which is 31.4% and 27.8% of the MVPA (p&lt;0.05) required to achieve the physical activity guidelines. Children spent 96 minutes in screen-based sedentary behaviours, contributing to 84% of their daily screen-based sedentary behaviours and 80% of the sedentary behaviour guidelines. After-school MVPA was positively associated with achieving the physical activity guidelines (OR: 1.31, 95%CI 1.18, 1.44, p&lt;0.05) and after-school screen-based sedentary behaviours was negatively associated with achieving the sedentary behaviours guidelines (OR: 0.97, 95%CI: 0.96, 0.97, p&lt;0.05).Conclusions: The after-school period plays a critical role in the accumulation of children&rsquo;s physical activity and sedentary behaviours. Small changes to after school behaviours can have large impacts on children&rsquo;s daily behaviours levels and likelihood of meeting the recommended levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Therefore interventions should target reducing after-school sedentary behaviours and increasing physical activity

Correlates of sedentary behaviours in preschool children: a review

Background: Sedentary behaviour has been linked with a number of health outcomes. Preschool-aged children spend significant proportions of their day engaged in sedentary behaviours. Research into the correlates of sedentary behaviours in the preschool population is an emerging field, with most research being published since 2002. Reviews on correlates of sedentary behaviours which include preschool children have previously been published; however, none have reported results specific to the preschool population. This paper reviews articles reporting on correlates of sedentary behaviour in preschool children published between 1993 and 2009.Methods: A literature search was undertaken to identify articles which examined correlates of sedentary behaviours in preschool children. Articles were retrieved and evaluated in 2008 and 2009.Results: Twenty-nine studies were identified which met the inclusion criteria. From those studies, 63 potential correlates were identified. Television viewing was the most commonly examined sedentary behaviour. Findings from the review suggest that child&rsquo;s sex was not associated with television viewing and had an indeterminate association with sedentary behaviour as measured by accelerometry. Age, body mass index, parental education and race had an indeterminate association with television viewing, and outdoor playtime had no association with television viewing. The remaining 57 potential correlates had been investigated too infrequently to be able to draw robust conclusions about associations.Conclusions: The correlates of preschool children&rsquo;s sedentary behaviours are multi-dimensional and not well established. Further research is required to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the influences on preschool children&rsquo;s sedentary behaviours to better inform the development of interventions.<br /

Preschool and childcare center characteristics associated with children\u27s physical activity during care hours: an observational study

Background: Preschools and childcare settings offer opportunities to promote adequate levels of physical activity. Research is needed to identify the key features of these settings to optimize young children\u27s activity. The aims of this study were to determine if differences existed in preschool children\u27s physical activity during care hours compared with outside care hours and to examine a comprehensive range of potential center-based correlates of physical activity for preschool boys and girls. Methods: Data are from the Healthy Active Preschool and Primary Years study: 71 childcare centers, 65 preschools and 1002 preschool children. Percent of time in total (light- to vigorous-intensity) physical activity was measured using Actigraph GT1M accelerometers. Center physical environment characteristics, policies and practices were assessed by trained research staff using comprehensive audit tools. Data were collected in 2008/9 and were analyzed separately for boys and girls in Stata using multilevel mixed effects models. Results: Boys and girls were less active during care than outside care hours (51.1 % vs. 52.4 %, p = 0.01; 48.0 % vs. 51.5 %, p \u3c 0.0001, respectively). In the final adjusted models, number of outdoor spaces with natural ground coverings was associated with boys\u27 physical activity (coeff = 0.477, 95 % CI 0.089, 0.867) and the amount of time girls spent indoors before going outdoors was inversely associated with their physical activity (coeff = −0.035, 95 % CI −0.065, −0.004). The models explained 12 and 10 % of boys\u27 and girls\u27 physical activity during care hours, respectively. Conclusions: This study identified that children are significantly less active during than outside care hours. Few center-based correlates of preschool children\u27s physical activity were identified. Future research should explore other aspects of centers, such as what children actually do while they are outside, and broader potential influences on children\u27s behaviours including social, cultural and policy contexts within which centers operat

Preschool and childcare center characteristics associated with children’s physical activity during care hours: an observational study

STROBE Statement—Checklist of items included in this study. (DOCX 28 kb

Patterns of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in preschool children

BackgroundLittle is known about patterns of sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity among preschoolers. Therefore, in this observational study patterns of SB and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were examined in detail throughout the week in preschool-aged boys and girls.MethodsA sample of 703 Melbourne preschool children (387 boys; 4.6&thinsp;&plusmn;&thinsp;0.7 y) were included in data analysis. SB and MVPA data were collected using accelerometry over an eight-day period. Percentage of time per hour in SB and in MVPA between 08:00 h and 20:00 h was calculated. Multi-level logistic regression models were created to examine the hour-by-hour variability in SB and MVPA for boys and girls across weekdays and weekend days. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated to interpret differences in hour-by-hour SB and MVPA levels between boys and girls, and between weekdays and weekend days.ResultsThe highest SB levels co-occurred with the lowest MVPA levels from the morning till the early afternoon on weekdays, and during the morning and around midday on weekends. Besides, participation in SB was the lowest and participation in MVPA was the highest from the mid afternoon till the evening on weekdays and weekend days. The variability across the hours in SB and, especially, in MVPA was rather small throughout weekdays and weekends. These patterns were found in both boys and girls. During some hours, girls were found to be more likely than boys to demonstrate higher SB levels (OR from 1.08 to 1.16; all p&thinsp;&lt;&thinsp;0.05) and lower MVPA levels (OR from 0.75 to 0.88; all p&thinsp;&lt;&thinsp;0.05), but differences were small. During weekends, hour-by-hour SB levels were more likely to be lower (OR from 0.74 to 0.98; all p&thinsp;&lt;&thinsp;0.05) and hour-by-hour MVPA levels were more likely to be higher (OR from 1.15 to 1.50; all p&thinsp;&lt;&thinsp;0.05), than during weekdays, in boys and girls.ConclusionEntire weekdays, especially from the morning till the early afternoon, and entire weekend days are opportunities to reduce SB and to promote MVPA in preschool-aged boys and girls. Particularly weekdays hold the greatest promise for improving SB and MVPA. No particular time of the week was found where one sex should be targeted.<br /

What mums think matters: a mediating model of maternal perceptions of the impact of screen time on preschoolers\u27 actual screen time

Screen time during the preschool years is detrimental to wellbeing. The impact of parental perceptions on preschoolers\u27 screen time is unknown. This paper explores the association between maternal perceptions of the impact of screen time on their preschoolers\u27 wellbeing with their child\u27s screen time and the potential mediating role of their perception of the appropriate amount of screen time. In 2013&ndash;2014, mothers of 575 preschoolers (2&ndash;5 years; metropolitan Melbourne and online sources) reported: their perceptions of the impact of screen time on 11 aspects of wellbeing, conceptually grouped to physical, social and cognitive well-being; their perceptions of the appropriate amount of screen time for preschoolers; and their child\u27s actual screen time. Regression analyses investigated associations between perceptions and children\u27s screen time. Mediation by perception of the appropriate amount of screen time was examined using indirect effects. Mothers\u27 perceptions of the impact of screen time on social and cognitive wellbeing had a significant indirect effect on children\u27s actual screen time through mothers\u27 perception of the appropriate amount of screen time for their child. Findings illustrate the potential impact of parents\u27 perceptions on their children\u27s behaviors. Although a significant indirect effect was identified, direction of causality cannot be implied. Further exploration of the direction of association to determine causality, and interventions targeting parental perceptions, are warranted

Cross sectional associations of screen time and outdoor play with social skills in preschool children

Screen time and physical activity behaviours develop during the crucial early childhood period (0-5 years) and impact multiple health and developmental outcomes, including psychosocial wellbeing. Social skills, one component of psychosocial wellbeing, are vital for children\u27s school readiness and future mental health. This study investigates potential associations of screen time and outdoor play (as a proxy for physical activity) with social skills. Cross sectional data were available for 575 mothers with a child (54% boys) aged 2-5 years. Mothers reported their child\u27s screen time, outdoor play time and social skills (Adaptive Social Behavior Inventory; ASBI). Multiple linear regression analyses assessed associations of screen and outdoor play time (Model 1) and compliance with screen time and physical activity recommendations (Model 2) with three ASBI subscales. Boys and girls spent a mean of 2.0 and 2.2 hours per day in screen time, and 3.3 and 2.9 hours per day in outdoor play, respectively. Girls scores for express and comply skills were significantly higher than boys (p&lt;0.005). After applying the Benjamini-Hochberg Procedure to adjust for multiple associations, children\u27s television/DVD/video viewing was inversely associated with their compliant scores (B = -0.35 95% CI -0.26, -0.14; p = 0.001) and outdoor play time was positively associated with both expressive (B = 0.20 95% CI 0.07, 0.34; p = 0.004) and compliant (B = 0.22 95% CI 0.08, 0.36; p = 0.002) scores. Findings indicate that television/DVD/video viewing may be adversely, and outdoor play favourably, associated with preschool children\u27s social skills. Future research is required to identify the direction of causation and explore potential mechanisms of association