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A review of preschool children's physical activity and sedentary time using objective measures
Jill A Hnatiuk1, Jo Salmon1, Trina Hinkley1
1School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria.
Insights
Preschool children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Understanding physical activity and sedentary behavior in preschool children (ages 2-5) is crucial for public health policy and community programs.
- This review synthesizes objective data on physical activity and sedentary time in this age group.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and synthesize existing research on physical activity levels and sedentary time in preschool children using objective measurement tools.
- To identify the range and variability of physical activity and sedentary behavior prevalence in this demographic.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was conducted for studies published up to April 2013.
- Included studies utilized objective measures such as accelerometers (ActiGraph, Actiwatch, Actical, Actiheart, RT3), direct observation, and heart rate monitoring.
- Data from 40 publications on physical activity and 31 on sedentary time were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Significant variability was observed in prevalence estimates for physical activity and sedentary time.
- Sedentary time ranged widely from 34% to 94% of monitored time.
- Light-intensity physical activity ranged from 4% to 33%, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity from 2% to 41%.
Conclusions:
- The wide variation in reported physical activity and sedentary time makes it challenging to establish definitive prevalence rates for preschool children.
- Future research must standardize methodologies to improve the accuracy and comparability of findings on preschoolers' physical activity and sedentary behavior.
Context:
Identifying current physical activity levels and sedentary time of preschool children is important for informing government policy and community initiatives. This paper reviewed studies reporting on physical activity and time spent sedentary among preschool-aged children (2-5 years) using objective measures.
Evidence Acquisition:
Databases were searched for studies published up to and including April 2013 that reported on, or enabled the calculation of, the proportion of time preschool children spent sedentary and in light- and moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity. A total of 40 publications met the inclusion criteria for physical activity and 31 met the inclusion criteria for sedentary time. Objective measures included ActiGraph, Actiwatch, Actical, Actiheart, and RT3 accelerometers, direct observation, and Quantum XL telemetry heart rate monitoring. Data were analyzed in May 2013.
Evidence Synthesis:
Considerable variation in prevalence estimates existed. The proportion of time children spent sedentary ranged from 34% to 94%. The time spent in light-intensity physical activity and moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity ranged from 4% to 33% and 2% to 41%, respectively.
Conclusions:
The considerable variation of prevalence estimates makes it difficult to determine the "true" prevalence of physical activity and sedentary time in preschool children. Future research should aim to reduce inconsistencies in the employed methodologies to better understand preschoolers' physical activity levels and sedentary behavior.
