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Published on: March 7, 2019
Preschool children's physical activity in the home, childcare and neighbourhood environment: A latent profile
Pulan Bai1,2, Jasper Schipperijn3, Michael Rosenberg4
1School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Insights
Preschool children
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Public Health
- Physical Activity Research
Background:
- The socioecological model highlights home, childcare, and neighborhood environments as crucial for preschool physical activity.
- The distinct influence of each environmental domain on preschool physical activity remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate physical environment characteristics associated with different patterns of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in preschool children.
- To identify latent profiles of preschool children based on where they engage in MVPA.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Global Positioning System (GPS) data to derive environmental domains for 115 preschool children (aged 2-5 years).
- Identified three distinct latent profiles based on MVPA accumulation across five environmental domains.
- Analyzed neighborhood characteristics (parks, playgrounds) within 500-1600m for each profile.
Main Results:
- Three MVPA profiles emerged: "Active at home" (n=41), "Active except close to home" (n=61), and "Active except in local neighbourhood" (n=13).
- The "Active at home" profile was associated with fewer nearby parks and playgrounds compared to other groups.
- Preschool children's MVPA patterns appear to be influenced by their surrounding physical environments.
Conclusions:
- Physical environmental opportunities significantly shape preschool children's physical activity profiles.
- Understanding these environmental influences can inform targeted interventions to promote physical activity in early childhood.
Abstract:
Based on the socioecological conceptual model, the physical environment within the home, childcare and neighbourhood domains are key factors that influence preschool children's physical activity; however, the relative importance of each of these domains for preschool children's physical activity is unclear. We explored the physical environment characteristics within three latent profiles of 115 preschool children aged 2-5 years based on where they accumulated moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) across five GPS-derived environmental domains. The three profiles were "Active at home" (n = 41), "Active except close to home" (n = 61), and "Active except in local neighbourhood" (n = 13). Compared to other profiles, "Active at home" had fewer parks and playgrounds within their 500-1600 m neighbourhood. Findings suggest preschool children's MVPA profiles are reflections of their physical environmental opportunities.
