The impact of a teacher-led structured physical activity session on preschoolers' sedentary and physical activity levels
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Published on: March 7, 2019
Eveline Van Cauwenberghe1, Marieke De Craemer, Ellen De Decker
1Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Eveline.VanCauwenberghe@UGent.be
Insights
Teacher-led structured physical activity (PA) sessions in preschool significantly reduce sedentary time and increase light and moderate-to-vigorous PA during school hours. These positive effects on children's physical activity levels persist after school, with no compensatory increases in sedentary behavior observed.
Area of Science:
- Childhood Obesity Research
- Pediatric Physical Activity
- Early Childhood Education
Background:
- Preschool years are critical for establishing lifelong physical activity (PA) habits.
- Sedentary behavior and insufficient PA in early childhood are linked to adverse health outcomes.
- Understanding the impact of structured PA interventions within preschool settings is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare sedentary time and physical activity (PA) levels in preschoolers on days with and without teacher-led structured PA sessions.
- To investigate potential compensatory changes in PA or sedentary behavior after structured PA sessions.
Main Methods:
- Observational study involving 200 preschoolers (aged 5.3±0.4 years) from 26 preschools in Flanders, Belgium.
- Accelerometers (GT1M ActiGraph) were used to measure sedentary time, light PA, and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) during and after preschool hours on two separate weekdays.
- Multi-level linear regression models were employed to analyze differences between days with and without structured PA sessions.
Main Results:
- Preschoolers exhibited significantly lower sedentary time and higher light PA and MVPA levels during preschool hours on days with structured PA sessions compared to days without.
- No significant differences in sedentary time, light PA, or MVPA were observed after preschool hours between the two types of days.
- These findings applied to both boys and girls in the study sample.
Conclusions:
- Teacher-led structured PA sessions integrated into the preschool curriculum effectively increase PA and decrease sedentary time during school hours.
- No compensatory increases in sedentary behavior or decreases in PA were observed outside of preschool hours following these sessions.
- Structured PA sessions represent a promising strategy for promoting physical activity in preschool-aged children.
Objectives:
The purpose of this observational study was to examine differences in preschoolers' sedentary time and physical activity (PA) participation between preschool-attending weekdays with and without a teacher-led structured PA session.
Design:
A sample of 200 preschoolers (5.3±0.4y; 113 boys) from 26 preschools in Flanders, Belgium were included in data analysis.
Methods:
Participants wore a GT1M ActiGraph accelerometer on one preschool-attending weekday with and on one preschool-attending weekday without the provision of a teacher-led structured PA session. Preschoolers' sedentary time, light PA, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the time in preschool (08:00-16:00h) and after preschool (16:00-20:00h) were estimated. To assess differences in the outcome measures between both days, multi-level linear regression models were conducted.
Results:
During the time at preschool, lower sedentary levels (β=13.0min; SE=1.6; p<0.001) and higher light PA (β=2.9min; SE=0.7 p<0.001) and MVPA levels (β=10.1min; SE=1.1; p<0.001) were prevalent on days with a structured PA session compared to days without a structured PA session in both boys and girls. After preschool, no differences were found between both days in sedentary time (β=0.7; SE=1.4; p>0.05), light PA (β=0.3; SE=0.5; p>0.05), and MVPA (β=0.3; SE=0.9; p>0.05).
Conclusions:
The results demonstrate that no compensatory changes were found after preschool for the structured PA session during the preschool hours. Therefore, a teacher-led structured PA session integrated in the preschool curriculum is a promising mean to decrease sedentary time and to increase PA in preschool-aged boys and girls.
