Factors associated with physical activity in preschool children

Comparing the physical activity patterns of 3-year-old Finnish and Australian children during childcare and homecare days

“…However, this study indicated that during childcare hours children engaged in 56% of their daily MVPA and 53% of their daily LMVPA in Finland; and in 64% of their daily MVPA and 64% of their daily LMVPA in Australia. This finding supports the earlier research of Finn et al [12].…”

“…For example, in Scotland Jackson et al [35] found total activity counts of 669 cpm and Reilly et al [36] 692 for 3-year-olds for compared to the mean of 730 cpm found in this study. Earlier preschool PA research has shown boys to be more active than girls [12,15,35,37]. Children tend to be less active when more staff members are present or involved with children's play [38,39].…”

“…Because children spend considerable time at childcare, this setting can make an important contribution to the welfare and health of young children via an influence on their levels of PA behavior [12,13,14]. For instance, Finn et al [12] concluded that the childcare center was the strongest predictor of activity levels among children attending childcare, with more than 50% of the daily PA performed during childcare hours.…”

“…Because children spend considerable time at childcare, this setting can make an important contribution to the welfare and health of young children via an influence on their levels of PA behavior [12,13,14]. For instance, Finn et al [12] concluded that the childcare center was the strongest predictor of activity levels among children attending childcare, with more than 50% of the daily PA performed during childcare hours. Results of a review by Hinkley et al [15] showed that boys were more active than girls, that children with active parents tended to be more active, and that children who spent more time outdoors were more active than children who spent less time outdoors.…”

Physical Activity in Overweight and Non-Overweight Pre-School Children

“…In support of this contention, observational studies of preschool children have shown that boys engage in more vigorous-intensity activities, play in larger groups in more open settings, engage in more risk-taking behavior, and play rougher games involving greater amounts of body contact than girls. [26][27][28] While it is not possible to provide a definitive explanation for our gender-specific findings, the large gender gap in physical activity observed in this and other studies of preschool children, [29][30][31] strongly supports the recommendation that efforts to promote physical activity in girls start early in life. 32,33 Recent research has shown that familial patterns of overweight and obesity are mediated, in part, by parenting eating behaviors (parental energy intake, mother's dietary restraint, and disinhibition) and parental child-feeding practices (concern for child's weight, monitoring, and restriction of child's food intake).…”