Background/ObjectivePhysical activity (PA) is important in reducing childhood obesity, yet a majority of children are not meeting PA guidelines. Schools have been identified as a place to promote childhood PA. The purpose of this study was to determine the best type of physically active recess period to increase preschool-aged children's PA.MethodsPA was measured via accelerometers in preschool-aged children (n = 29) during three, 30-min recess conditions (control; structured play; free play) on separate school days. Tertile splits were performed based on PA during the free play condition and children were divided into three groups: highly, moderately and least active.ResultsFor the aggregated sample, children were more (p ≤ 0.001) active during the free play (1282 ± 662 counts. min−1) and structured play (1416 ± 448 counts. min−1) recess versus the control condition (570 ± 460 counts. min−1) and activity was not different between the free play and structured conditions. However, children who were the most active during free play (1970 ± 647 counts·min−1) decreased (p ≤ 0.05) activity during structured play (1462 ± 535 counts·min−1), whereas children who were moderately active (1031 ± 112 counts·min−1) or the least (530 ± 239 counts·min−1) active during free play increased activity during structured play (1383 ± 345 counts·min−1 moderately active, 1313 ± 413 counts·min−1 least active).ConclusionProviding a physically-active recess period will contribute to preschool-aged children meeting the recommended PA guidelines; however, different children may respond in a different way based upon the structure of the recess period.
Decreases in individuals’ physical activity and increases in sedentary behavior and bodyweight have been reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study assessed the ability of physical activity monitoring, which may promote physical activity and discourage sedentary behavior, to mitigate these negative outcomes. An evaluation of university samples (N = 404, 40.5 ± 15.4 years) of self-reported physical activity, sedentary behavior, and bodyweight prior to the closure of campus due to the pandemic in March of 2020 and again at the time of the survey administration (May–June 2020) during pandemic-related restrictions was performed. Participants also reported whether they did (n = 172) or did not (n = 232) regularly use physical activity monitoring technology. While physical activity was unchanged during the pandemic (p ≥ 0.15), participants significantly increased sitting by 67.8 ± 156.6 min/day and gained 0.64 ± 3.5 kg from pre-campus to post-campus closure (p < 0.001). However, the use of activity monitoring did not moderate these changes. In conclusion, while physical activity was not affected, participants reported significant increases in sedentary behavior and bodyweight during the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes occurred regardless of whether participants regularly used physical activity monitoring or not.
To determine if self-reported negative social interaction mediates the relationship between sedentary behavior and body mass index (BMI) percentile in boys. Twelve overweight/obese (?85th BMI percentile) and 14 non-overweight (<85th BMI percentile) boys (10.5 ± 1.5 years old) completed surveys assessing overt peer victimization and relational victimization. Children were individually given access to a gymnasium with physical activity equipment and sedentary alternatives for 30 minutes. Children could play with the equipment in any pattern they wished and the amount of time allocated to sedentary activities (sitting time) was recorded. Overt and relational victimization were moderately and positively associated with BMI percentile (r ? 0.40, p ? 0.04) and sitting time (r ? 0.40, p ? 0.05) and sitting time was positively associated with BMI percentile (r = 0.4, p = 0.05). After controlling for overt and relational victimization the correlation between sitting time and BMI percentile was non-significant (r ? 0.28, p ? 0.18). The positive relationship between BMI percentile and sedentary behavior was mediated by measures of negative social interaction.
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