Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 2026

Physical Activity Measurement in Children Accepting Table Tennis Training
06:51

Physical Activity Measurement in Children Accepting Table Tennis Training

Published on: July 27, 2022

Seasonal and annual variation in young children's physical activity

David P McKee1, Elaine M Murtagh, Colin A G Boreham

  • 1Department of Health and Physical Education, Stranmillis University College, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|January 6, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Young children

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric physical activity research.
  • Childhood activity patterns.
  • Public health and child development.

Background:

  • Regular physical activity (PA) is linked to reduced illness and death.
  • Understanding the consistency of PA in very young children across seasons and years is limited.
  • This study addresses the stability of physical activity habits in preschool-aged children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how season and age influence objectively measured physical activity in preschool children.
  • To assess the year-to-year stability of physical activity rankings in young children.
  • To explore factors influencing seasonal variations in children's physical activity.

Main Methods:

  • Measured physical activity (PA) using pedometer step counts in 85 preschool children (3- and 4-year-olds) during winter and spring.
  • Re-assessed PA one year later in 37 children upon school entry.
  • Collected parental data on attitudes, habits, and demographics via questionnaires.

Main Results:

  • Children took ~2000 fewer steps daily in winter compared to spring (r = 0.04).
  • Physical activity increased by ~2300 steps daily from age 4 to 5 (P < 0.01).
  • Rank order stability of PA was low (correlations 0.01–0.15), influenced by father's play time and safe play spaces.

Conclusions:

  • A single physical activity assessment may not represent a young child's activity over a full year.
  • Physical activity tracking from age 4 to 5 is poor.
  • Interventions should consider seasonal and age-related variations in children's physical activity.
Abstract

More Related Videos

Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges08:22

Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges

Published on: February 25, 2016

Visualization of Intensity Levels to Reduce the Gap Between Self-Reported and Directly Measured Physical Activity05:59

Visualization of Intensity Levels to Reduce the Gap Between Self-Reported and Directly Measured Physical Activity

Published on: March 7, 2019

Related Concept Videos

What is Variation?01:14

What is Variation?

Apart from the measures of central tendency, distribution, outliers, and the changing characteristics of data with time, an important characteristic of any data set is its variation or spread. In some data sets, the data values are concentrated closely near the mean; in others, the data values are more widely spread out from the mean.
The range, standard deviation, standard error, and variance are the different measures of variation.
Range: The range is the difference between its maximum and...
Factors Affecting Body Temperature01:28

Factors Affecting Body Temperature

As a nurse, it is vital to understand the factors affecting body temperature to monitor variations and effectively evaluate deviations from regular.
Factors may  include:
Variation in Acceleration due to Gravity near the Earth's Surface01:20

Variation in Acceleration due to Gravity near the Earth's Surface

An object's apparent weight is its weight measured by a spring balance at its location. It is different from its true weight, the force with which the Earth pulls it, because of the Earth's rotation. Mathematically, an object's apparent weight equals its true weight minus the centripetal force that keeps it in a circular motion along with the Earth's surface every 24 hours.
The difference between the true and apparent weights is proportional to the square of the Earth's angular speed. Since the...
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism01:24

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism

In pediatric care, understanding the nuances of hepatic drug metabolism is crucial, as it significantly differs from that of adults. This divergence is primarily due to the developmental stage of drug-metabolizing enzymes, which affects how medications are processed in the body. In neonates, for instance, the activity of Phase I enzymes—critical for the initial breakdown of drugs—is markedly reduced, functioning at just 20–40% of the levels seen in adults. This reduction poses a challenge in...
Introduction to Developmental Psychology01:27

Introduction to Developmental Psychology

Developmental psychology explores the changes and continuities in human abilities throughout life, encompassing physical, cognitive, linguistic, and social dimensions. Human development is not restricted to growth, but includes aspects of decline, particularly in physical abilities as individuals age. Developmental psychologists seek to understand how people change as they age and how their mental and social skills evolve.Developmental MilestonesA key concept in developmental psychology is...
Biological Clocks and Seasonal Responses02:45

Biological Clocks and Seasonal Responses

The circadian—or biological—clock is an intrinsic, timekeeping, molecular mechanism that allows plants to coordinate physiological activities over 24-hour cycles called circadian rhythms. Photoperiodism is a collective term for the biological responses of plants to variations in the relative lengths of dark and light periods. The period of light-exposure is called the photoperiod.