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Sedentary Time Patterns Among Preschoolers: Do Sex Disparities Exist?
María Enid Santiago-Rodríguez1, Karin A Pfeiffer2, Kara K Palmer3
1Department of Physical Therapy, Universidad Ana G. Méndez, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Childhood Obesity (Print)
|April 10, 2025
Summary
Preschool girls exhibit higher sedentary time than boys during school hours, potentially impacting their health. This highlights a need for family-based interventions promoting physical activity and healthy habits.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Behavioral Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Sedentary time (ST) is a growing public health concern in early childhood.
- Disaggregating ST into periods like before, during, and after preschool offers insights into specific behavioral patterns.
- Understanding sex differences in ST is crucial for targeted health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sex differences in sedentary time (ST) among US preschoolers.
- To analyze ST patterns specifically before, during, and after preschool hours.
- To inform the development of effective interventions for childhood obesity prevention.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of a two-cohort study involving 292 preschoolers from low-income families.
- Accelerometers worn on the non-dominant wrist for 8 consecutive days to measure ST.
- Three linear regressions analyzed sex differences in ST, controlling for BMI percentile.
Main Results:
- Preschool girls demonstrated significantly higher sedentary time (ST) compared to boys during preschool hours (p=0.006).
- No statistically significant sex differences in ST were observed before or after preschool hours.
- A trend suggested girls might have higher ST after preschool (p=0.06).
Conclusions:
- Girls' increased sedentary time during preschool warrants attention due to potential long-term health implications, including obesity.
- Findings underscore the need for family-centered interventions focusing on physical activity and healthy habits from an early age.
- Targeted strategies may be necessary to mitigate health disparities related to sedentary behavior in preschool girls.
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