Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 28, 2026
Assessment of Physical Activity Intensity with Accelerometers and Oxygen Consumption
Published on: June 20, 2025
OBJECTIVELY MEASURED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SEDENTARY BEHAVIOUR PATTERNS IN CHILEAN PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN
Nicolas Aguilar-Farias1, Pía Martino-Fuentealba2, Miguel Espinoza-Silva2
1Department of Physical Education, Sports and Recreation, Universidad de La Frontera, Chile. School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia.. nicolas.aguilar@ufrontera.cl.
Introduction:
the negative effects of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour (SB) on children's health have been widely supported by evidence. However, evidence on how these behaviours are manifested in pre-school children is limited. The study aim was to evaluate objectively measured physical activity (PA) and SB patterns in Chilean pre-school children.
Methods:
twenty-five children (4.8 } 0.50 years, 48% male) completed ambulatory monitoring with an ActivPALTM micro accelerometer and inclinometer. Time spent while walking, standing and sitting/lying, as well as daily steps were measured and compared by day of the week (weekday/weekend) and time of day.
Results:
mean walking time was 147.2 } 52.23 minutes/ day. Mean time spent in SB was 468.3 } 92.22 min/day, with statistical differences between week and weekend days (484.8 minutes/day vs. 426.8 minutes/day, p = 0.03). 50% of total steps were accrued in accumulations of less than 100 steps/minute, while 50% of time spent in SB was accumulated in bouts of 35 seconds or less.
Discussion:
pre-school children have intermittent PA and SB patterns. On weekdays children spent sitting longer than at weekends, therefore an opportunity exists for changing this behaviour during class time. This report on PA and SB patterns presents valuable information for designing and implementing strategies to enhance PA levels and decrease time spent in SB among pre-school children.
