Niveles y patrones de actividad física en sesiones de motricidad infantil basadas en el juego libre

The main of this study is to analyse the physical activity levels and patters of girls and boys in two childhood movement sessions focused on free play. 32 participants were enrolled in the study (48 and 54 months) from one public school in the Provence, Spain. The physical activity levels and patterns were determined using pedometer and an observational system. The A Model was based in one session of free play using corners and regulated by time meanwhile the B Model was based in one session of free play using corners without time. Results show that more of the half observations were reported as moderate-vigorous physical activity in both models. There was no difference in the step count between the two models. Nevertheless, only in A Model, only the girls achieve a higher presence of observations in moderate-vigorous indicator. In addition, both models generated different interaction patterns between girls and boys, as well a different teacher role. In conclusion, if the movement sessions in the early childhood education context want to play a key role in order to promote children integral formation, it must be guided between other things, a balance between the free play choices and the necessity of physical activity promotion.El objetivo del estudio consistió en analizar los niveles y patrones de actividad física de niñas y niños de educación infantil en dos sesiones de motricidad centradas en el juego libre. Participaron 32 estudiantes, de edades comprendidas entre los 48 y 54 meses y pertenecientes al segundo ciclo de educación infantil, de un colegio público de la Provincia de València, España. Los niveles y patrones de actividad física se determinaron a través de podometría y de un sistema observacional. El modelo A consistió en una sesión de juego libre por rincones-tiempo, mientras que el modelo B consistió en una sesión de juego libre por rincones-libre elección. Los resultados muestran que más de la mitad de las observaciones fueron reportadas como actividad física moderada-vigorosa en los dos modelos. No se reportaron diferencias en el número de pasos entre los dos modelos. No obstante, solo en el modelo A, las niñas a diferencia de los niños, alcanzaron un porcentaje mayor de observaciones en el indicador moderado-vigoroso. Además, los dos modelos generan patrones diferentes de interacción entre las niñas y los niños, así como un papel distinto por parte de la maestra. En conclusión, si la motricidad en el ámbito de la educación infantil quiere tener un papel protagónico para favorecer la formación integral del estudiantado, debe apuntar entre otras cosas, a un equilibrio entre las posibilidades de juego libre y la necesidad de promover la actividad física

Estudio descriptivo-comparativo para analizar los niveles y patrones de actividad física durante sesiones estructuradas de movimiento en Educación Infantil: especial atención al papel del profesorado

Because teacher behaviour and children’s gender are correlates of young children’s physical activity during structured movement sessions in early years, teachers should develop effective teaching strategies to promote physical activity, with a special focus on girls. Following a descriptive-comparative study, the aims of this research were: (a) to analyse the physical activity levels and patterns during two structured movement sessions under the framework of experiential psychomotricity using accelerometry and direct observation methods; (b) to evaluate the impact of a formalised short intervention that focuses on physical activity during structured movement sessions; and (c) to explore young children’s experience of movement during both sessions using drawings. Our major findings were as follows: (a) the intervention had a positive impact on the physical activity levels and patterns in young girls during a structured movement session; (b) the teacher’s active role during sessions could have a positive impact on the physical activity levels favouring more diverse group compositions, especially with the girls; (c) the graphic representation act as a source of knowledge that help both the teacher and the child to make sense of their movement experience. Our results are useful for understanding how the teacher’s role during experiential psychomotricity could promote physical activity in young children.Dado que el comportamiento del profesorado y el género del estudiantado son correlatos de la actividad física durante las sesiones de movimiento estructurado en la primera infancia, los profesores deben desarrollar estrategias de enseñanza eficaces para promover la actividad física, con especial atención a las niñas. Siguiendo un diseño descriptivo-comparativo, los objetivos de este estudio fueron: (a) analizar los niveles y patrones de actividad física durante dos sesiones de movimiento estructurado bajo el marco de la psicomotricidad experiencial utilizando métodos de acelerometría y observación directa; (b) evaluar el impacto de una intervención corta formalizada que se centra en el análisis de la actividad física durante las sesiones de movimiento estructurado; y (c) explorar a través del dibujo infantil, la experiencia de movimiento de los niñas y niños durante ambas sesiones. Nuestros principales resultados fueron los siguientes: (a) la intervención tuvo un impacto positivo en los niveles y patrones de actividad física en las niñas durante una sesión de movimiento estructurado; (b) el papel activo de la maestra durante las sesiones podría tener un impacto positivo en los niveles de actividad física favoreciendo composiciones de grupo más diversas, especialmente con las niñas; (c) la representación gráfica actúa como una fuente de conocimiento que ayuda tanto a la maestra como a las niñas y niños a dar sentido a sus experiencias de movimiento. Nuestros resultados son útiles para comprender cómo el papel del profesorado durante la psicomotricidad experiencial puede promover la actividad física en la primera infancia

The Role of Preschool Hours in Achieving Physical Activity Recommendations for Preschoolers

Research on physical activity (PA) in different educational settings could elucidate which interventions promote a healthy school lifestyle in early childhood education (ECE). The aims of this study were: (a) to analyse the PA levels of preschoolers during school hours, as well as the rate of compliance with specific recommendations on total PA (TPA) and moderate-vigorous PA (MVPA); (b) to examine the role of structured movement sessions and recess time in the MVPA levels during school hours; (c) to evaluate the sociodemographic correlates of preschoolers and the school environment on MVPA behaviour during school hours. PA was evaluated with Actigraph accelerometers. Our main findings were that: (a) preschoolers engaged in very little TPA and MVPA during school hours; (b) children showed significantly higher MVPA levels on days with versus without structured movement sessions, and the contribution of the structured sessions to MVPA was significantly higher than that of recess time; (c) gender and age were associated with PA, and a high density of young children on the playground was associated with high levels of vigorous PA, whereas in the classroom, high density was associated with more sedentary behaviour. Structured PA could reduce the gap in achieving international recommendations

The Role of Preschool Hours in Achieving Physical Activity Recommendations for Preschoolers

Research on physical activity (PA) in different educational settings could elucidate which interventions promote a healthy school lifestyle in early childhood education (ECE). The aims of this study were: (a) to analyse the PA levels of preschoolers during school hours, as well as the rate of compliance with specific recommendations on total PA (TPA) and moderate-vigorous PA (MVPA); (b) to examine the role of structured movement sessions and recess time in the MVPA levels during school hours; (c) to evaluate the sociodemographic correlates of preschoolers and the school environment on MVPA behaviour during school hours. PA was evaluated with Actigraph accelerometers. Our main findings were that: (a) preschoolers engaged in very little TPA and MVPA during school hours; (b) children showed significantly higher MVPA levels on days with versus without structured movement sessions, and the contribution of the structured sessions to MVPA was significantly higher than that of recess time; (c) gender and age were associated with PA, and a high density of young children on the playground was associated with high levels of vigorous PA, whereas in the classroom, high density was associated with more sedentary behaviour. Structured PA could reduce the gap in achieving international recommendations

Microwave radiometry for soil moisture monitoring : preliminary results from the EuroSTARRS-2001 campaign

International audiencePassive microwaves at L-band (1.4 GHz) can be used to estimate near surface soil moisture from satellites at a global scale. Soil moisture affects very strongly surface dielectric properties at this frequency and thus surface brightness temperature. Current studies are focused on the improvement of surface emissivity models for specific conditions regarding surface roughness, type of vegetation cover and geometry of observation. The airborne-based campaign EuroSTARRS from the European Space Agency will provide experimental data to support the development and improvement of these models. The basis of microwaves for surface soil moisture estimation is presented in this communication, together with some preliminary results of the EuroSTARRS-2001 campaign