Physical activity patterns by objective measurements in preschoolers from China

Lu, Congchao; Wiersma, Rikstje; Shen, Tong; Huang, Guowei; Corpeleijn, Eva

doi:10.1080/2574254x.2019.1585178

Cited by 7 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…This finding may however depend on the context in which children live. In Chinese preschool children, a study using accelerometers to assess PA, comparable to ours, showed that, during some time segments, children affected by overweight were less active compared to children without overweight [29]. The Chinese children with overweight or obesity were more sedentary from 17:00 to 18:00 and spent less time in LPA from 8:00 to 11:00 and from 17:00 to 21:00 on schooldays compared to children without overweight.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…The Chinese children with overweight or obesity were more sedentary from 17:00 to 18:00 and spent less time in LPA from 8:00 to 11:00 and from 17:00 to 21:00 on schooldays compared to children without overweight. A possible explanation is that the Chinese school schedule includes an obligatory nap time from 12:00 to 14:00 which probably influences, and maybe even suppresses, children’s natural activity patterns across the day [29]. This was visible when looking at the average MVPA level of the Chinese children, which was 47 min per day during schooldays and 61 min per day during weekends, the latter being comparable to the average of 61 min MVPA per day in our study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physical activity around the clock: objectively measured activity patterns in young children of the GECKO Drenthe cohort

Wiersma

Hartman

et al. 2019

BMC Public Health

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BackgroundGiven the widespread problem of physical inactivity, and the continued growth in prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity, promotion of regular physical activity (PA) among young people has become a public priority. A greater understanding of children’s PA patterns throughout the day is needed to effectively encourage children to be more physically active. Hence this study looking at the distribution of PA in young children throughout the day and its relevance to overweight.MethodsAccelerometers (ActiGraph GT3X, weartime > 600 min/day, ≥3 days) were used to measure the PA of 958 children (aged 5.7 ± 0.8 years, 52% boys) enrolled in the GECKO Drenthe cohort. Levels of sedentary time (ST), light PA (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) were recorded throughout the day and analysed in segments (07:00–09:00, 09:00–12:00, 12:00–15:00, 15:00–18:00, 18:00–21:00). Body mass index was measured by Preventive Child Healthcare nurses and Cole’s (2012) definition of overweight was used. General linear mixed models, adjusted for age, sex and season, were used to analyse patterns of PA and ST throughout the day.ResultsChildren were most sedentary in the early morning (07:00–09:00) and evening (18:00–21:00), and exhibited the most time spent engaged in LPA and MVPA in the afternoon (12:00–15:00) and late afternoon (15:00–18:00). The greatest inter-individual variation in ST, LPA and MVPA among the children occurred in the late afternoon and evening (approximately 40, 30 and 15 min difference per time segment between 25th and 75th percentile, respectively). The most active children (highest quartile of MVPA) were found to be more active and less sedentary throughout the entire day than the least active children (lowest quartile of MVPA). Furthermore, children with overweight were no less active than children without overweight.ConclusionsAt this young age, the relevance of different PA patterns to childhood overweight was minimal. Children were most active in the afternoon and late afternoon. To encourage PA in general, ST can be reduced and PA increased in the early morning and evening. Targeted PA interventions to specifically stimulate the least active children could take place in the late afternoon or evening.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical activity around the clock: objectively measured activity patterns in young children of the GECKO Drenthe cohort

Wiersma

Hartman

et al. 2019

BMC Public Health

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“…Accelerometer-based studies in preschoolers have examined PA by measuring hour-by-hour patterns [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]; average daily PA levels during specific time periods of the day, such as recess time [ 16 , 17 ]; average daily PA levels on weekdays and weekends [ 18 , 19 , 20 ]. Furthermore, different PA correlates have been identified in young children [ 5 , 21 ], including lower child-staff ratios and the use of indoor play areas for motor activity [ 22 ], and child–staff ratios and the size of indoor area per child [ 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…School PA is a significant component of daily PA. Because correlates of children’s PA in ECE are multidimensional, research on PA in different educational settings could elucidate which interventions effectively promote a healthy school lifestyle in the ECE context. Some studies have described accelerometer-assessed PA patterns during segmented school weekdays [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 26 ]. However, there is no evidence on the impact of structured or unstructured activities on total PA (TPA; including not only MVPA but also light PA) or MVPA during the school day.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Preschool Hours in Achieving Physical Activity Recommendations for Preschoolers

et al. 2021

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Research on physical activity (PA) in different educational settings could elucidate which interventions promote a healthy school lifestyle in early childhood education (ECE). The aims of this study were: (a) to analyse the PA levels of preschoolers during school hours, as well as the rate of compliance with specific recommendations on total PA (TPA) and moderate-vigorous PA (MVPA); (b) to examine the role of structured movement sessions and recess time in the MVPA levels during school hours; (c) to evaluate the sociodemographic correlates of preschoolers and the school environment on MVPA behaviour during school hours. PA was evaluated with Actigraph accelerometers. Our main findings were that: (a) preschoolers engaged in very little TPA and MVPA during school hours; (b) children showed significantly higher MVPA levels on days with versus without structured movement sessions, and the contribution of the structured sessions to MVPA was significantly higher than that of recess time; (c) gender and age were associated with PA, and a high density of young children on the playground was associated with high levels of vigorous PA, whereas in the classroom, high density was associated with more sedentary behaviour. Structured PA could reduce the gap in achieving international recommendations.

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“…The influence of restrictions to move freely on adiposity can be observed in the years following infancy, when we compare two cross-sectional studies from different cultures. In a study in 4- to 6-year-old Dutch children, PA was not related to weight status, whereas in a comparable study among 3- to 6-year-old Chinese children, substantial differences in activity between overweight and non-overweight children were found [ 47 , 48 ]. Both studies used the same methods, procedures, and accelerometer cut-offs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adiposity and High Blood Pressure during Childhood: A Prospective Analysis of the Role of Physical Activity Intensity and Sedentary Time in the GECKO Drenthe Cohort

Wiersma

Hartman

Boezen

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Whereas in adults, physical inactivity is strongly related to obesity and hypertension, in young children the evidence is inconsistent and scarce. We examined the association between physical activity (PA) behaviours at 5–6 years of age and adiposity and blood pressure (BP) at 10–11 years in 947 children (51% boys) from the Groningen Expert Center for Kids with Obesity (GECKO) Drenthe cohort. Sedentary time (ST) and light, moderate, and vigorous PA were assessed using accelerometry (ActiGraph GT3X, wear time > 600 min/day, ≥3 days). Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and systolic and diastolic BP were measured at 5–6 and 10–11 years of age and standardized as age- and sex-adjusted (and height-adjusted, for BP) z-scores. Adjusted linear and logistic regression models showed that most PA behaviours were not related to standardized BMI or WC, overweightness/obesity, abdominal overweightness/obesity, standardized systolic or diastolic BP, pulse pressure, or prehypertension at 10–11 years of age. Only if children spent more time in vigorous PA was WC slightly lower (B (95% CI) = −0.08 (−0.16, −0.01) SD, stdβ = −0.068) and the increase in WC over the years was less (B (95% CI) = −0.10 (−0.18, −0.01) SD; stdβ = −0.083). To conclude, at this very young age, PA behaviours are not a strong predictor for overweightness/obesity or hypertension later in childhood.

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Physical activity patterns by objective measurements in preschoolers from China

Cited by 7 publications

References 35 publications

Physical activity around the clock: objectively measured activity patterns in young children of the GECKO Drenthe cohort

Physical activity around the clock: objectively measured activity patterns in young children of the GECKO Drenthe cohort

The Role of Preschool Hours in Achieving Physical Activity Recommendations for Preschoolers

Adiposity and High Blood Pressure during Childhood: A Prospective Analysis of the Role of Physical Activity Intensity and Sedentary Time in the GECKO Drenthe Cohort

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