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Objectively Measured Physical Activity in South African Children Attending Preschool and Grade R: Volume, Patterns,
Simone A Tomaz1, Trina Hinkley2, Rachel A Jones3
1University of Cape Town.
Insights
South African preschoolers generally meet physical activity (PA) guidelines. However, children in urban high-income settings were less active than those in lower-income areas, highlighting a need for targeted PA interventions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric physical activity research
- Public health and nutrition in early childhood
Background:
- Physical activity (PA) is crucial for preschoolers' development and long-term health.
- Understanding PA levels across different socioeconomic settings is vital for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess physical activity (PA) levels in South African preschoolers.
- To determine the proportion of preschoolers meeting PA recommendations.
- To compare PA across urban high-income, urban low-income, and rural low-income settings.
Main Methods:
- 229 preschoolers (aged 5.17 years) from diverse income settings wore accelerometers for 7 days.
- Measured moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) and total PA (light- to vigorous-intensity).
- Assessed adherence to PA guidelines (180 min/d total PA, including 60 min/d MVPA).
Main Results:
- 96.9% of children met PA guidelines.
- Average MVPA was 124.4 min/d; total PA was 457.0 min/d.
- Boys engaged in more MVPA than girls; urban high-income preschoolers were less active than those in lower-income settings.
Conclusions:
- While most preschoolers meet PA guidelines, disparities exist across income settings.
- Interventions are needed to ensure consistent PA engagement, especially during the transition to formal schooling.
- Further research should explore strategies to promote PA in all socioeconomic groups.
Purpose:
To assess physical activity (PA) and determine the proportion of preschoolers meeting PA recommendations in different income settings in South Africa.
Methods:
Preschoolers from urban high-income (UH), urban low-income (UL), and rural low-income (RL) settings wore an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer for 7 days. PA variables of interest included volume moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) and total PA (light- to vigorous-intensity PA), hourly PA patterns, and percentage of children meeting guidelines (180 min/d of total PA, inclusive of 60 min/d of MVPA). Between-sex differences were assessed using t tests and Mann-Whitney U tests; between-setting differences assessed using 1-way analyses of variance and Kruskal-Wallis tests.
Results:
For all children (n = 229, aged 5.17 [0.69] y), average MVPA was 124.4 (37.5) minutes per day and total PA was 457.0 (61.1) minutes per day; 96.9% of children met guidelines. Boys did significantly more MVPA than girls (136.7 [39.37] vs 111.5 [30.70] min/d, P < .001), and UH preschoolers were significantly less active than UL and RL preschoolers (UH 409.1 [48.4] vs UL 471.1 [55.6] and RL 461.6 [61.4], P < .001).
Conclusion:
In both practice and research, it is necessary to explore ways to ensure that South African preschoolers from all income settings continue to engage in and benefit from healthy volumes of PA. This is especially important as preschoolers transition to a formal school environment.
