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Preschool and childcare center characteristics associated with children's physical activity during care hours: an
Trina Hinkley1, Jo Salmon2, David Crawford2
1Deakin University, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, 75 Pigdons Rd, Waurn Ponds, VIC, 3216, Australia. trina.hinkley@deakin.edu.au.
Insights
Preschool children are less physically active during care hours than outside. Environmental factors like outdoor spaces influence activity, but few other center-based correlates were found.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Public Health
- Pediatric Exercise Science
Background:
- Preschools and childcare settings are key environments for promoting physical activity in young children.
- Identifying specific features within these settings is crucial for optimizing children's activity levels.
- Research is needed to understand how the childcare environment impacts physical activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare physical activity levels of preschool children during care hours versus outside of care hours.
- To examine center-based correlates of physical activity in preschool boys and girls.
- To identify environmental, policy, and practice factors influencing physical activity in early childhood settings.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Healthy Active Preschool and Primary Years study, involving 71 childcare centers and 65 preschools with 1002 children.
- Measured physical activity using Actigraph GT1M accelerometers to determine the percentage of time in light- to vigorous-intensity activity.
- Assessed center characteristics, policies, and practices through comprehensive audit tools by trained research staff.
Main Results:
- Children exhibited lower physical activity levels during care hours compared to outside care hours for both boys and girls.
- For boys, the number of outdoor spaces with natural ground coverings was positively associated with physical activity.
- For girls, increased indoor time before outdoor play was inversely associated with physical activity levels.
Conclusions:
- Preschool children are significantly less active during care hours than outside of these settings.
- Few center-based correlates were identified, suggesting a need for further investigation into other influencing factors.
- Future research should explore children's activities outdoors and broader social, cultural, and policy contexts affecting behavior in childcare settings.
Background:
Preschools and childcare settings offer opportunities to promote adequate levels of physical activity. Research is needed to identify the key features of these settings to optimize young children's activity. The aims of this study were to determine if differences existed in preschool children's physical activity during care hours compared with outside care hours and to examine a comprehensive range of potential center-based correlates of physical activity for preschool boys and girls.
Methods:
Data are from the Healthy Active Preschool and Primary Years study: 71 childcare centers, 65 preschools and 1002 preschool children. Percent of time in total (light- to vigorous-intensity) physical activity was measured using Actigraph GT1M accelerometers. Center physical environment characteristics, policies and practices were assessed by trained research staff using comprehensive audit tools. Data were collected in 2008/9 and were analyzed separately for boys and girls in Stata using multilevel mixed effects models.
Results:
Boys and girls were less active during care than outside care hours (51.1 % vs. 52.4 %, p = 0.01; 48.0 % vs. 51.5 %, p < 0.0001, respectively). In the final adjusted models, number of outdoor spaces with natural ground coverings was associated with boys' physical activity (coeff = 0.477, 95 % CI 0.089, 0.867) and the amount of time girls spent indoors before going outdoors was inversely associated with their physical activity (coeff = -0.035, 95 % CI -0.065, -0.004). The models explained 12 and 10 % of boys' and girls' physical activity during care hours, respectively.
Conclusions:
This study identified that children are significantly less active during than outside care hours. Few center-based correlates of preschool children's physical activity were identified. Future research should explore other aspects of centers, such as what children actually do while they are outside, and broader potential influences on children's behaviours including social, cultural and policy contexts within which centers operate.
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