Understanding young children\u27s physical activity

 The promotion of physical activity in young children is warranted, as many children under age three do not meet current Australian physical activity recommendations. Mothers appear to play an important role in shaping children’s physical activity during the first years of life

Early childhood predictors of toddlers\u27 physical activity: longitudinal findings from the Melbourne InFANT program

Background:&nbsp;Young children are at risk of not meeting physical activity recommendations. Identifying factors from&nbsp;the first year of life which influence toddlers&rsquo; physical activity levels may help to develop targeted intervention&nbsp;strategies. The purpose of this study was to examine early childhood predictors of toddlers&rsquo; physical activity across&nbsp;the domains of maternal beliefs and behaviours, infant behaviours and the home environment.&nbsp;Methods: Data from 206 toddlers (53% male) participating in the Melbourne InFANT Program were collected in 2008&ndash;2010 and analysed in 2012. Mothers completed a survey of physical activity predictors when their child was 4- (T1) and&nbsp;9- months old (T2). Physical activity was assessed by ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers at 19- months (T3) of age.Results: One infant behaviour at T1 and one maternal belief and two infant behaviours at T2 showed associations with&nbsp;physical activity at T3 and were included in multivariate analyses. After adjusting for the age at which the child started&nbsp;walking and maternal education, the time spent with babies of a similar age at 4-months (&beta; = 0.06, 95% CI [0.02, 0.10])&nbsp;and the time spent being physically active with their mother at 9-months (&beta; = 0.06, 95% CI [0.01, 0.12]) predicted&nbsp;children&rsquo;s physical activity at 19-months of age.&nbsp;Conclusions: Promotion of peer-interactions and maternal-child co-participation in physical activity could serve as a&nbsp;health promotion strategy to increase physical activity in young children. Future research is required to identify other&nbsp;early life predictors not assessed in this study and to examine whether these factors predict physical activity in later life&nbsp;stages.</div

Describing objectively measured physical activity levels, patterns, and correlates in a cross sectional sample of infants and toddlers from South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity is considered to have health benefits across the lifespan but levels, patterns, and correlates have not been well described in infants and toddlers under the age of two years. METHODS: This study aimed to describe objectively and subjectively measured physical activity in a group of South African infants aged 3- to 24-months (n = 140), and to investigate individual and maternal correlates of physical activity in this sample. Infants' physical activity was measured using an Axivity AX3 wrist-worn accelerometer for one week and the mean vector magnitude was calculated. In addition, mothers reported the average amount of time their infant spent in various types of activities (including in front of the TV), their beliefs about infants' physical activity, access to equipment in the home environment, and ages of motor development milestone attainment. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and pair-wise correlations were used to test age and sex differences and associations with potential correlates. RESULTS: There were significant age and sex effects on the distribution of time spent at different physical activity intensities (Wilks' lambda = 0.06, p < 0.01). In all cases, the trend was for boys to spend more time in higher intensity physical activity and less time in lower intensity activity than girls; and for time spent in higher intensity activities to be higher in older children. Time spent outside was higher in boys, and this reached significance at 18-months (F = 3.84, p = 0.02). Less concern around floor play was associated with higher physical activity at 12-months in females only (p = 0.03, r = 0.54), and no other maternal beliefs were correlated with physical activity. The majority (94%) of children were exceeding TV time recommendations. When controlling for age and sex, overall TV time was positively associated with BMI z-score (β=0.01, p = 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study is the first to show sex and age differences in the patterns of physical activity, and to report on objectively measured and maternal reported physical activity and sedentary behaviour in the first two years of life in South Africa infants. Infants and toddlers should be provided with as many opportunities to be active through play as possible, and TV time should be limited

Tracking of maternal self-efficacy for limiting young children\u27s television viewing and associations with children\u27s television viewing time: a longitudinal analysis over 15-months

BACKGROUND: Mothers\u27 self-efficacy for limiting their children\u27s television viewing is an important correlate of this behaviour in young children. However, no studies have examined how maternal self-efficacy changes over time, which is potentially important during periods of rapid child development. This study examined tracking of maternal self-efficacy for limiting young children\u27s television viewing over 15-months and associations with children\u27s television viewing time. METHODS: In 2008 and 2010, mothers (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;404) from the Melbourne InFANT Program self-reported their self-efficacy for limiting their child\u27s television viewing at 4- and 19-months of age. Tertiles of self-efficacy were created at each time and categorised into: persistently high, persistently low, increasing or decreasing self-efficacy. Weighted kappa and multinomial logistic regression examined tracking and demographic and behavioural predictors of change in self-efficacy. A linear regression model examined associations between tracking categories and children\u27s television viewing time. RESULTS: Tracking of maternal self-efficacy for limiting children\u27s television viewing was low (kappa&thinsp;=&thinsp;0.23, p&thinsp;&lt;&thinsp;0.001). Mothers who had persistently high or increasing self-efficacy had children with lower television viewing time at 19-months (&beta;&thinsp;=&thinsp;-35.5; 95 % CI&thinsp;=&thinsp;-54.4,-16.6 and &beta;&thinsp;=&thinsp;37.0; 95 % CI&thinsp;=&thinsp;-54.4,-19.7, respectively). Mothers of children with difficult temperaments were less likely to have persistently high self-efficacy. Mothers who met adult physical activity guidelines had 2.5 greater odds of increasing self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to increase and maintain maternal self-efficacy for limiting children\u27s television viewing time may result in lower rates of this behaviour amongst toddlers. Maternal and child characteristics may need to be considered when tailoring interventions

Correlates of home and neighbourhood-based physical activity in UK 3-4-year-old children.

BACKGROUND: Identifying context-specific correlates of home- and neighbourhood-based physical activity in preschool-aged children may help improve intervention program development for these settings. METHODS: A total of 153 3-4-year-old children were recruited through preschool settings in Cambridgeshire (January-July 2013). Children wore Actiheart accelerometers for ≤7 days to assess their sedentary time (ST), light-(LPA) and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA). A parent-completed questionnaire assessed correlates across the ecological model and the child's preschool attendance during the measurement week. Only accelerometer data for times when children were at home were used. Multilevel models (Level 1: days; Level 2: child) examined associations between maternal-reported exposure variables and each outcome (children's home- and neighbourhood-based ST, LPA and MVPA) (main analysis). Further analyses included the subsample of children with complete paternal correlates data (father analysis). RESULTS: In the main analyses, children with older siblings engaged in less ST. Children whose mothers reported being 'moderately inactive' or 'active' (vs. inactive) engaged in less LPA, while children whose mothers worked >35 h week-1 engaged in less MVPA. More equipment at home was associated with lower LPA but greater MVPA. In the father analysis, father's television viewing before 6 pm was associated with greater ST and less MVPA in children; the negative association between mother's activity and children's LPA was retained. CONCLUSION: Family demographics and parental behaviours appear to have the strongest association with children's home- and neighbourhood-based ST, LPA and MVPA. This study further highlights the importance of examining both maternal and paternal behaviours.We thank all children and their parents who participated in the SPACE study. In addition, we thank Kate Westgate and Stefanie Mayle from the physical activity technical team at the MRC Epidemiology Unit for their assistance in processing the accelerometer data, and members of the field team who conducted data collection. This work was conducted by the Medical Research Council (Unit Programme number: MC_UU_12015/7) and the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research and Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged (CEDAR grant number: RES-590-28-0002). Funding for JH’s visit to CEDAR was provided by Western Sydney University. KH’s work was supported by the Wellcome Trust (107337/Z/15/Z).This is the author accepted manuscript. It is currently under an indefinite embargo pending publication by Oxford University Press

Maternal-child co-participation in physical activity-related behaviours: prevalence and cross-sectional associations with mothers and children\u27s objectively assessed physical activity levels

BACKGROUND: Co-participation in physical activity may be a useful strategy for increasing physical activity in mothers and their young children, yet little empirical evidence exists on this topic for young families. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of mother-child co-participation in physical activity and examine the association between co-participatory behaviours and objectively-assessed physical activity in young children and their mothers. METHODS: One-hundred twenty-three 4-6&nbsp;year-old children and their mothers were recruited from preschools in Belgium between November 2010 and January 2011. Mothers completed a questionnaire assessing the frequency of co-participation in five activities. Both mothers and children wore ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers concurrently for 7&nbsp;days to assess the time spent in moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and light- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (LMVPA). Descriptive statistics (means, frequencies) were used to determine the prevalence of co-participation. Separate multiple linear regression analyses examined the association between co-participation and mothers\u27 and children\u27s physical activity on weekdays and weekends. RESULTS: Most mothers reported infrequent co-participation in physical activities with their children. On weekdays, walking or cycling for short trips was positively associated with children\u27s MVPA while attending a park or similar more than once per week was negatively associated with children\u27s MVPA and LMVPA. Going to an indoor play centre together once or more per week was negatively associated with mother\u27s LMVPA. On weekends, walking or cycling with their child in their free time was positively associated with both children\u27s and mothers\u27 MVPA and childrens\u27 LMVPA. Going to an indoor play centre together 1-3 times/month was negatively associated with children\u27s weekend MVPA. CONCLUSIONS: Reported rates of co-participation in mothers and their preschool children were low. The association with maternal and child physical activity may be dependent on the co-participatory behaviour assessed and may differ between weekday and weekends. Promoting walking and cycling together during leisure time may be an effective strategy to increase both preschool children\u27s and mothers\u27 MVPA

Feasibility and efficacy of a parent-focused, text message-delivered intervention to reduce sedentary behavior in 2- to 4-year-old children (Mini Movers): pilot randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Despite public health guidelines to limit sedentary behavior, many young children spend large amounts of time sedentary (eg, screen and sitting time) during waking hours. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to test the feasibility and efficacy of a parent-focused, predominantly text message-delivered intervention to support parents to reduce the amount of time their children spend in sedentary behavior. METHODS: Mini Movers was a pilot randomized controlled trial delivered to parents of 2- to 4-year-old children in Melbourne, Australia. Participants were recruited through playgroups, social media, and snowball sampling. Eligibility criteria were having an ambulatory child (2-4 years), English literacy, and smartphone ownership. Participants were randomized to intervention or wait-list control on a 1:1 ratio after baseline data collection. The 6-week intervention was predominantly delivered via text messages, using a Web-based bulk text message platform managed by the interventionist. Intervention strategies focused on increasing parental knowledge, building self-efficacy, setting goals, and providing reinforcement, and were underpinned by the Coventry, Aberdeen &amp; London-Refined taxonomy of behavior change techniques and social cognitive theory. The primary outcome was intervention feasibility, measured by recruitment, retention, intervention delivery, and fidelity; process evaluation questionnaires; and qualitative interviews with a subsample of participants. Secondary outcomes were children\u27s screen and restraint time (parent report), sitting time (parent report, activPAL), and potential mediators (parent report). Linear regression models were used to determine intervention effects on secondary outcomes, controlling for the child\u27s sex and age and clustering by playgroup; effect sizes (Cohen\u27s d) were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 57 participants (30 intervention; 27 wait-list control) were recruited, and retention was high (93%). Process evaluation results showed that the intervention was highly acceptable to parents. The majority of intervention components were reported to be useful and relevant. Compared with children in the control group, children in the intervention group had significantly less screen time postintervention (adjusted difference [95% CI]=-35.0 [-64.1 to -5.9] min/day; Cohen\u27s d=0.82). All other measures of sedentary behavior were in the expected direction, with small to moderate effect sizes. CONCLUSIONS: Mini Movers was shown to be a feasible, acceptable, and efficacious pilot intervention for parents of young children, warranting a larger-scale randomized control trial. <br /

A mobile technology intervention to reduce sedentary behaviour in 2- to 4-year-old children (Mini Movers): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BackgroundSedentary behaviour (e.g. television viewing, sitting time) tracks over time and is associated with adverse health and developmental outcomes across the lifespan. Young children (5 years or younger) spend up to 12 h/day sedentary, of which around 2 h is spent in screen time (e.g. watching television). Interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour in early childhood report mixed results and many have limited potential for scalability. Mobile phones offer a wide-reaching, low-cost avenue for the delivery of health behaviour programmes to parents but their potential to reduce young children&rsquo;s sedentary behaviour has not been widely tested. This study aims to test the feasibility and efficacy of a parent-focused, predominantly mobile telephone-delivered intervention to support parents to minimise the amount of time their child spends using screens and in overall sitting time.Methods/designMini Movers is a pilot randomised controlled trial recruiting 100 parents and children. Inclusion criteria include having a child aged between 2 and 4 years, being able to speak, read and write English, and smartphone ownership. Participants will be randomised to the intervention or a wait-list control group at a 1:1 ratio. Intervention group parents will receive printed materials including a content booklet and goal-checking magnet and will participate in a one-on-one discussion with the interventionist to plan two goals to reduce their child&rsquo;s sedentary behaviour. Subsequently, the intervention will be delivered over 6 weeks via personalised and interactive text messages promoting positive health behaviours (strategies for decreasing screen time and overall sitting time), goal setting and self-monitoring. Outcomes to be assessed include intervention feasibility and children&rsquo;s screen time and objectively-assessed sitting time.DiscussionFew studies have used mobile phone technology to deliver health behaviour programmes to parents of young children. Findings will inform the development of larger-scale interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour during early childhood.<br /

Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between parents\u27 and preschoolers\u27 physical activity and TV viewing: the HAPPY Study

Background: Parental modelling has been shown to be important for school-aged children&rsquo;s physical activity (PA) and television (TV) viewing, yet little is known about its impact for younger children. This study examined cross-sectional and three-year longitudinal associations between PA and TV viewing behaviours of parents and their preschool children. Method: In 2008-9 (T1), parents in the HAPPY cohort study (n=450) in Melbourne, Australia self-reported their weekly PA and TV viewing, and proxy-reported their partner&rsquo;s PA and TV viewing, and their 3-5 year-old preschool child&rsquo;s TV viewing. Children&rsquo;s PA was assessed via accelerometers. Repeat data collection occurred in 2011-12 (T2). Results: Mothers&rsquo; and fathers&rsquo; PA were associated with PA among preschool girls at T1, but not boys. Parents&rsquo; TV viewing times were significant correlates of girls&rsquo; and boys&rsquo; TV viewing at T1. Longitudinally, mothers&rsquo; PA at baseline predicted boys&rsquo; PA at T2, while sex-specific associations were found for TV viewing, with mothers&rsquo; and fathers&rsquo; TV viewing at T1 associated with girls&rsquo; and boys&rsquo; TV viewing respectively at T2. Conclusions: The PA and TV viewing of both parents are significantly associated with these behaviours in preschool children. The influence of the sex-matched parent appears to be important longitudinally for children&rsquo;s TV viewing&amp;period

Do the correlates of screen time and sedentary time differ in preschool children?

BackgroundPreschool children can spend up to 12 h a day in sedentary time and few meet current recommendations for screen time. Little is known about ecological correlates that could be targeted to decrease specific versus total sedentary behaviour. This study examined whether the correlates of screen time and sedentary time differ in preschool boys and girls.MethodsParents participating in the HAPPY Study in 2008/09 in Melbourne, Australia reported their child&rsquo;s usual screen time and potential individual, social and physical environment correlates. Children wore ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers for eight days to objectively assess sedentary time (&lt;100 counts.min&minus;1). Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed, stratified by sex and controlling for child age, preschool/childcare attendance and clustering by centre of recruitment. Correlates significantly associated with screen time or sedentary time in individual models (p &lt; 0.05) were included in final combined models.ResultsChildren were sedentary for 301.1 (SD 34.1) minutes/day and spent 108.5 (SD 69.6) minutes/day in screen time. There were no sex differences in screen or sedentary time. In the final models, sleep duration was inversely associated with girls&rsquo; sedentary time and boys&rsquo; screen time. The only other consistent correlates for boys and girls were parental self-efficacy to limit screen time and screen time rules, which were inversely associated with screen time for both sexes. Parents reporting that they get bored watching their child play was inversely associated and maternal television viewing was positively associated with boys&rsquo; screen time. Paternal age was positively associated with boys&rsquo; sedentary time. Maternal ethnicity was inversely associated and paternal education, child preferences for sedentary behaviour, and parental concerns about child&rsquo;s physical activity and sedentary behaviour were positively associated with girls&rsquo; screen time.ConclusionsThe modifiable correlates of total sedentary and screen time identified in this study could be targeted in interventions to reduce these behaviours. With correlates differing for screen and sedentary time, and between boys and girls, interventions may also benefit from including behaviour- and sex-specific strategies.<br /