The Effect of Outdoor Activity Context on Physical Activity in Preschool Children

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to develop and test a method for assessing the effect of outdoor activity context on level of physical activity in preschool children. The observational system for recording physical activity in children was used to define the test conditions and various levels of physical activity within a multielement design. In general, all participants were fairly sedentary during the analysis. The fixed playground equipment condition produced the most moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, a finding that does not correspond to the descriptive assessment literature on childhood physical activity.

The Role of the Physical Environment in Promoting Physical Activity in Children Across Different Group Compositions

“…Still, these results demonstrate the importance of activity context and suggest the importance of group composition on MVPA levels. These results replicate the work of Hustyi et al (2012) with new participants in similar settings, with fixed equipment most consistently evoking the most MVPA. These results extend the work of Hustyi et al by demonstrating the utility of the methodology across differing group contexts.…”

“…For example, Hustyi et al (2012) experimentally manipulated several environmental contexts that were previously reported (e.g., Brown et al, 2009) to correlate with MVPA in young children. Four children were provided controlled access to an open grassy play area, a play area containing outdoor toys, a play area containing fixed playground equipment (i.e., jungle gym), and a play area containing a table and indoor activities (i.e., coloring books and army guys).…”

Physical Activity–Related and Weather-Related Practices of Child Care Centers From 2 States

“…17,22–25 However, a recent study suggests there is some evidence to the contrary. 30 Nonprofit centers were also more likely to have an indoor play area within the center. To examine the relationship between profit status and overall quality of child care, Morris et al 31 employed a comprehensive rating system 32 used by state child care licensing agencies to assess quality.…”

Physical Activity–Related and Weather-Related Practices of Child Care Centers from 2 States

“…17,[22][23][24][25] However, a recent study suggests there is some evidence to the contrary. 30 Nonprofit centers were also more likely to have an indoor play area within the center. To examine the relationship between profit status and overall quality of child care, Morris et al 31 employed a comprehensive rating system 32 used by state child care licensing agencies to assess quality.…”