The impact of learn, exercise, and game structured curriculum model on physical activity in children aged 3-6 years

To investigate the impact of the LEG structured curriculum model on physical activity among children aged 3-6 years, thereby enhancing their levels of MVPA, TPA, and reducing SB.

This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a repeated-measurements approach to implement a physical activity intervention for preschool children, with the aim of assessing their outdoor physical activity (OPA) and structured physical activity (SPA). Using a combination of random cluster sampling and stratified sampling, 180 preschool children aged 3-6 were selected as study participants. An Actigraph GT3X accelerometer was used to measure the children's physical activity levels in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the program, and statistical analysis of the experimental data was conducted using an independent samples t-test and repeated measures analysis of variance.

In structured physical activities, both MVPA and TPA levels significantly increased among 3-6-year-old children in the experimental group. Among the 3-4-year-old children in the experimental group, MVPA increased by 68.5% at 6 weeks compared to baseline (8.14 vs. 4.83 min), but this increase had declined to 39.1% by 12 weeks. TPA also increased by 39% at 6 weeks (14.56 vs. 10.47 min), but by 12 weeks, the increase was only 7.6%, and exhibited a pattern of easy to initiate but difficult to sustain. For 4-5-year-old children in the experimental group, MVPA increased by 139.7% from week 0 to week 6 (12.78 vs. 5.33 min) and by an additional 30.1% by week 12. TPA increased by 84.5% at week 6 (21.14 vs. 11.46 min) and remained at a similar level at week 12, showed the most optimal intervention outcomes, with a linear increase. For 5-6-year-olds in the experimental group, MVPA increased by only 13.1% from baseline to week 6 (3.98 vs. 3.52 min), but surged by 251% by week 12 compared to week 6 (13.93 min). TPA also saw a significant increase by week 12 (a 140% increase compared to week 6), and influenced by factors such as class size and the children's desire for autonomy.

The LEG structured curriculum model is most effective and suitable for improving sedentary behavior and increasing physical activity levels among 4-5-year-old children. It also yields significant results for 3-4-year-olds and 5-6-year-olds; but the intervention strategies still need to be further optimized to enhance their sustainability and overall effectiveness.