Abstract
The impact of additional structured outdoor playtime on preschoolers'; physical activity (PA) level is unclear. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the effects of increasing structured outdoor playtime on preschoolers'; PA levels. Eight full-day classrooms (n=134 children) from two preschool programmes were randomised into a treatment (STRUCT, n=4) or control (CON, n=4) condition. Both groups received an additional 30 minutes of outdoor playtime three days per week for four weeks. The STRUCT intervention consisted of previously tested structured outdoor playtime activities/games. The CON intervention consisted of free outdoor playtime. Children were individually recruited (n=75) for the objective assessment of PA levels. The PA levels of 67 children (age, 4.1±0.8 years; STRUCT, n=38; CON, n=29) were assessed at baseline and during week four for seven consecutive days using Actigraph accelerometers. Data were analysed using mixed-model analysis of variance. Time spent in vigorous PA significantly increased during the 30-minute intervention time for the STRUCT group compared with the CON group (group×time interaction: F(1, 36) = 4.91, p=0.04). Compared with baseline, a significant increase was observed in the STRUCT group's time spent engaged in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) during the intervention time, but this increase was not significant compared with the CON group (baseline: STRUCT, 1.7±2.0 min; CON, 1.9±2.4 min; week four: STRUCT, 4.9±3.1 min; CON, 3.3±2.5 min). Compared with the CON group, the STRUCT group spent a significantly greater percentage of time engaged in MVPA and a significantly lower percentage of time engaged in sedentary activity during the preschool day. In conclusion, this study provides preliminary evidence that increasing preschoolers'; exposure to structured activities during outdoor playtime could lead to improvements in their PA levels. The present intervention could be used to help preschoolers meet the recommended levels of PA.
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