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Temperament and Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time among Canadian Preschoolers
Jennifer D Irwin1, Andrew M Johnson1, Leigh M Vanderloo2
1School of Health Studies, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, Ontario N6A 5B9, Canada.
Insights
Preschoolers' temperament did not significantly influence their physical activity or sedentary time in childcare settings. The childcare environment may be more critical for promoting healthy activity levels in young children.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Physical Activity in Early Childhood
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Understanding factors influencing preschoolers' physical activity and sedentary time is crucial for public health.
- Temperament, a set of innate behavioral traits, may play a role in activity patterns.
- Existing research has not definitively established a link between temperament and objectively measured activity in preschoolers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between preschoolers' temperament and their objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time.
- To determine if specific temperament traits, such as activity level or emotionality, are associated with activity behaviors.
- To explore the potential influence of temperament on physical activity within a childcare context.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Actical™ accelerometers to objectively measure physical activity and sedentary time in 216 preschoolers (2.5-5 years) over 5 days during childcare.
- Assessed child temperament using the Child Temperament Questionnaire (CTQ), completed by parents/guardians.
- Employed Pearson product-moment correlations to analyze the association between CTQ subscales and accelerometer-derived activity metrics.
Main Results:
- Few correlations between temperament subscales and physical activity/sedentary time measures were observed.
- No statistically significant relationships were found after adjusting for multiple comparisons.
- The 'activity' subscale of the CTQ showed no significant correlation with measured physical activity or sedentary time.
Conclusions:
- Preschoolers' temperament, as reported by parents, did not demonstrate a significant association with objectively measured physical activity or sedentary time.
- Findings suggest that the childcare environment may be a more influential factor in promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary time.
- Further research is warranted to confirm the nuanced relationship between temperament and physical activity in early childhood.
Abstract:
This study sought to assess the influence of preschoolers' temperament on their objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time. Actical™ accelerometers were used to measure preschoolers' from London, Canada's (n = 216; 2.5-5 years) physical activity and sedentary levels during childcare hours (5 consecutive days; 15 s epoch). The Child Temperament Questionnaire (CTQ) was used to assess child temperament via parent/guardian report. The six subscales of the CTQ (i.e., reaction to food, soothability, attention span, activity, sociability, and emotionality) were correlated with Actical data (i.e., sedentary time, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and total physical activity). The five items of the activity subscale were correlated with these three measures of sedentary time and physical activity. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were employed for both sets of analyses. Of the correlations examined, few had an absolute value greater than 0.10, and none were statistically significant after taking multiple comparison bias into account. The results of this work might provide additional indirect support for the conclusion that the childcare environment should be a primary focus with regard to the promotion of increased physical activity and decreased sedentary time among preschoolers. Additional research is required to confirm the relationship between preschoolers' temperament and levels of physical activity and sedentary time.
