Impact of preschool environment upon children's physical activity and sun exposure

Boldemann, Cecilia; Blennow, Margareta; Dal, Henrik; Mårtensson, Fredrika; Raustorp, Anders; Yuen, Katarina; Wester, Ulf

doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2005.12.006

Cited by 224 publications

(228 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Children are more physically active when outdoors than indoors, 52 and children who walk or bike to school are more active than children who travel by other means. 53,54 However, other contexts, such as the indoor home 55 or school environment, [56][57][58] may also influence physical activity at early ages. The social context, including local norms about body size, is also likely to influence activity and adiposity; indeed, local norms may be responsible for our finding that living in a neighborhood with more immigrants predicts lower adiposity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The centers vary in indoor and outdoor space and in the opportunities they provide for physical activity, and those variations may affect children's activity and adiposity. 56 Although we examined interactions between the built environment and season of accelerometry, we had limited power to detect statistically significant effect modification. Finally, given the cross-sectional and observational nature of this research, chance and bias from unmeasured confounders should be considered as alternative explanations for the findings.…”

Section: Strengths and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is the Environment Near Home and School Associated with Physical Activity and Adiposity of Urban Preschool Children?

et al. 2011

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Preventing sedentary behavior and adiposity in childhood has become a public health priority. We examined urban social and built environment characteristics as correlates of physical activity and anthropometry among 428 preschool children from low-income families in New York City. We measured the children's height, weight, skinfold thicknesses, physical activity by accelerometer, and covariates. We geocoded home and Head Start center addresses and estimated the following for an area within 0.5 km of those two locations using a detailed geographic database: neighborhood composition, walkability, crime and traffic safety, and aesthetic characteristics. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine the associations of area characteristics with physical activity or adiposity, adjusted for characteristics of the child, mother, and home. Participants were 2-5 years old, 53% female, 83% Hispanic, and 43% either overweight or obese. Of the walkability indicators, land use mix was associated with physical activity (26 more activity counts/minute per standard deviation increase in mixed land use, p=0.015) and subway stop density was associated with adiposity (1.2 mm smaller sums of skinfold thicknesses sum per standard deviation increase in subway stop density, p=0.001). The pedestrian-auto injury rate, an indicator of traffic safety problems, was associated with physical activity and adiposity (16 fewer activity counts/minute, p=0.033, and 1.0 mm greater skinfold thickness per standard deviation increase in pedestrian-auto injuries, p=0.018). Children living in areas with more street trees were more physically active and those living in areas with more park access had smaller skinfolds. However, many of the tested associations were not statistically significant and some trends were not in the hypothesized direction. Efforts to enhance walkability, safety, and green spaces in the local environment may be relevant to physical activity and adiposity, and therefore to the health of preschool-aged children from low-income families.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Strengths and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the Environment Near Home and School Associated with Physical Activity and Adiposity of Urban Preschool Children?

et al. 2011

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“…The solution to reducing playground heat illness and surface burns on extreme heat days is not to prohibit play, but to encourage safe play, invoke awareness, and/or limit play to the morning or evening hours. Quality play settings result in increased activity and improved health (e.g., lessen obesity and diabetes) (Barnes, 2011) and social networking (Bessesen, 2008;Sallis, Floyd, Rodríguez, & Saelens, 2012;Wolch et al, 2011), increased cognitive and motor development (Boldemann et al, 2006;Brussoni, Olsen, Pike, & Sleet, 2012;Ciucci et al, 2011Ciucci et al, , 2013Wenner, 2009), and improved behavior (Bessesen, 2008;Ciucci et al, 2013;Lagacé-Séguin & d'Entremont, 2005) and learning (Taylor & Kuo, 2009). Quantifying both the T s-a over various surfaces and the scale offsets of these deltas can produce accurate and vital information for reducing playground T s through bioclimatic design.…”

Section: Health and Safety Standards In Playgrounds Related To Tempermentioning

confidence: 99%

Hot playgrounds and children's health: A multiscale analysis of surface temperatures in Arizona, USA

Vanos

Middel

McKercher

et al. 2016

Landscape and Urban Planning

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h i g h l i g h t s• A mismatch exists between remotely sensed and in situ urban surface temperatures (T s ).• The hottest T s in a Phoenix area neighborhood were found on playground surfaces.• Children are more vulnerable to the effects of heat stress and high T s than adults.• Shade of any type is found effective in reducing T s and improving thermal safety.• Data must be collected at the touch-scale for spatially accurate high T s mitigation. a r t i c l e i n f o b s t r a c tObjectives: To provide novel quantification and advanced measurements of surface temperatures (T s ) in playgrounds, employing multiple scales of data, and provide insight into hot-hazard mitigation techniques and designs for improved environmental and public health. Methods: We conduct an analysis of T s in two Metro-Phoenix playgrounds at three scales: neighborhood (1 km resolution), microscale (6.8 m resolution), and touch-scale (1 cm resolution). Data were derived from two sources: airborne remote sensing (neighborhood and microscale) and in situ (playground site) infrared T s (touch-scale). Metrics of surface-to-air temperature deltas ( T s-a ) and scale offsets (errors) are introduced. Results: Select in situ T s in direct sunlight are shown to approach or surpass values likely to result in burns to children at touch-scales much finer than T s resolved by airborne remote sensing. Scale offsets based on neighbourhood and microscale ground observations are 3.8 • C and 7.3 • C less than the T s-a at the 1 cm touch-scale, respectively, and 6.6 • C and 10.1 • C lower than touch-scale playground equipment T s , respectively. Hence, the coarser scales underestimate high T s within playgrounds. Both natural (tree) and artificial (shade sail) shade types are associated with significant reductions in T s . Conclusions: A scale mismatch exists based on differing methods of urban T s measurement. The sub-meter touch-scale is the spatial scale at which data must be collected and policies of urban landscape design and health must be executed in order to mitigate high T s in high-contact environments such as playgrounds. Shade implementation is the most promising mitigation technique to reduce child burns, increase park usability, and mitigate urban heating.

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“…Cox et al (2012) have suggested that current guidelines should, for example, limit TV time to no more than one hour a day, limit screen time to advertising-free programs, limit food intake while watching TV, and encourage children in active TV viewing. Moreover, with TVs off children might to be more likely to choose PA or educational pursuits inside, including playing with manipulative or gross motor toys .It is widely known that children who spend more time outdoors are more physically active (e.g., Boldemann et al, 2006;Sallis et al, 2000). For example, an observational study by McIver et al (2009) indicated that when outdoors, children tended to be more physically active than when they were indoors.…”

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confidence: 99%

Directly Observed Physical Activity among 3-Year-Olds in Finnish Childcare

Soini

Villberg

Sääkslahti

et al. 2014

IJEC

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This study addressed the following research questions: 1) What physical activity (PA) intensity levels and patterns exist among Finnish 3-year-old preschool children (studies I, II)? 2) Are there variations between Finland and the Netherlands in 3-year-old children's observed PA levels and contexts in childcare (study III)? 3) Are there variations between Finland and Australia in 3-year-old children's PA intensity levels measured with accelerometers (study IV)? In Finland, 14 childcare centres in the city of Jyväskylä participated in the study. Data were gathered on 96 three-year-old preschool children (48 boys and 48 girls) in autumn 2010, and on 94 children (50 boys and 44 girls) in winter 2011. Data were also gathered on 97 (46 boys and 51 girls) 3-year-olds from nine childcare centres in Maastricht, the Netherlands, and on 64 (33 boys and 31 girls) 3-year-olds from 13 childcare centres in Melbourne, Australia. Children's PA intensity levels and sedentary time on five consecutive days, including childcare and homecare days was assessed with ActiGraph GT3X accelerometers. The structured Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children-Preschool Version (OSRAC-P) of was used to obtain descriptive information on the context of PA behaviours in childcare settings. Appropriate statistical analyses were performed. The 3-year-old children spent the major part of their time engaged in sedentary-level activities. During childcare attendance, only 2% of all observations were recorded as moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA). The children were observed, for the most part, in non-solitary play; however, during solitary play they showed higher levels of PA intensity. In autumn, the children were more physically active in the mornings than afternoons. No major differences were observed in PA levels between days or seasons, although levels of outdoor PA were higher in autumn than winter. The Finnish children spent significantly more time in sedentary-level activities and less time in MVPA than the Dutch children, whereas, during childcare days the Finnish children spent more time in light PA than the Australian children. The childcare setting itself plays an important part in promoting more intensive PA behaviour during early childhood. Throughout the year, children should be encouraged to spend a greater amount of their time playing outdoors, engaged in MVPA-level activities, and to minimize the time spent sitting or engaged in sedentary-level activities. Finnish childcare policy makers should take note of these findings as well as of existing international practices and guidelines that have been demonstrated to be beneficial for children's PA behaviour and thus also health. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSPhysical activity has been a major part of my whole life, becoming a way of life. Besides enjoying being physically active myself, I have had a mission to encourage inactive people to work towards adopting a more physically active lifestyle. I believe that as a part of broadening my own lifelong learning, starting thi...

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Impact of preschool environment upon children's physical activity and sun exposure

Cited by 224 publications

References 25 publications

Is the Environment Near Home and School Associated with Physical Activity and Adiposity of Urban Preschool Children?

Is the Environment Near Home and School Associated with Physical Activity and Adiposity of Urban Preschool Children?

Hot playgrounds and children's health: A multiscale analysis of surface temperatures in Arizona, USA

Directly Observed Physical Activity among 3-Year-Olds in Finnish Childcare

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