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UK Preschool-aged children's physical activity levels in childcare and at home: a cross-sectional exploration.
- Source :
- International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity; 9/27/2015, Vol. 12, p1-9, 9p, 1 Diagram, 3 Charts, 1 Graph
- Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- Background: Young children are thought to be inactive in childcare, but little is known about location-specific activity levels. This observational study sought to describe the in-care and out-of-care activity patterns of preschool-aged children and explore differences in physical activity level by childcare attendance. Methods: Three to four-year-old children were recruited from 30 preschool and nursery 'settings' in Cambridgeshire, UK. Average minutes per hour (min/h) spent sedentary (SED), in light physical activity (LPA) and in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) were measured by accelerometry for up to 7 days (mean: 6.7 ±1.1). Weekly childcare attendance patterns were reported by parents. The within-child association between childcare attendance and outcomes was assessed using two- and three-level hierarchical regression; sex by care (in/out) interactions were considered. Results: Two hundred and two children (51 % female) had valid activity data for ≥2 days. Children, and particularly boys, were less sedentary and more active when in care compared to at home (SED: Boys: β(SE): -6.4 (0.5) min/h, Girls: -4.8 (0.5); LPA: Boys: 0.6 (0.4), Girls: 1.8 (0.4); MVPA: Boys: 5.7 (0.5); Girls: 3.0 (0.4)). Differences between in-care and at-home activity were largest in the (early) mornings and early evenings for boys; no compensation in at-home activity occurred later in the day. On days when children were in care part-time (1-5 h) or full-time (>5 h), they were significantly less sedentary and more active compared with non-care days. Conclusions: Young children, and particularly boys, accumulate more MVPA in care compared to at home. Future research should identify factors accounting for this difference and consider targeting non-care time in intervention efforts to increase higher-intensity activity and decrease sedentary time in preschoolers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- CHILD care
ACCELEROMETERS
ACTIGRAPHY
CONFIDENCE intervals
HEART beat
PROBABILITY theory
QUESTIONNAIRES
REGRESSION analysis
RESEARCH funding
STATISTICS
T-test (Statistics)
HOME environment
INTER-observer reliability
CROSS-sectional method
PHYSICAL activity
DATA analysis software
DESCRIPTIVE statistics
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 14795868
- Volume :
- 12
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 110005642
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-015-0286-1