Abstract
Participation in physical activity (PA) is fundamental to children’s future health. Studies examining the temporal pattern of PA between weekdays and weekends in British preschool children are lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare PA levels between week and weekend days for UK preschool children, using objective measurements. One hundred and eighty-five preschool children (99 boys, 86 girls, aged 4–5 years), from central England wore a triaxial accelerometer (GENEActiv) for 4 days to determine PA. The time (min) and percentage (%) of time spent in light, moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA) was determined using specific cut-points for counts per minute related to 3–5 year olds. Of the sample, none of the children met the UK recommended 180 min or more of PA per day. A significant difference (P < 0.05) was observed between the amount of time that preschool children spent in sedentary behaviours on weekdays (91.9%) compared to weekend days (96.9%). During weekdays and weekend days, 6.3% and 2.0% of time was spent in MVPA, respectively. Therefore, a substantial proportion of British preschool children’s day is spent in sedentary behaviours, with less MVPA accrued during the weekend. Regular engagement during the weekdays provides opportunities to accrue PA, which may not be present on weekend days.
Highlights
Physical activity (PA) during preschool years is critical to a child’s development and overall health and well-being [1,2]; it is important to integrate physical activity (PA) into early childhood [3,4]
It would be pertinent to assess preschool children who are full-time, to ascertain if this provides a similar or different outcome in their PA levels. This would be influential in identifying whether the results of this study are reflective of British preschool children, or if the time children spent in preschool affects their PA levels
The results of this study suggest that none of the preschool children in this sample achieved the UK recommended guidelines of PA for health
Summary
Physical activity (PA) during preschool years is critical to a child’s development and overall health and well-being [1,2]; it is important to integrate PA into early childhood [3,4]. In 2016, over 41 million children worldwide under the age of 5 years were estimated to be overweight [5]. Childhood obesity is an increasing public health concern [6] and weight gained by the age of 5 years has been reported as a predictor of being overweight in adulthood [7]. Studies have examined PA in children aged 5 years and above, fewer studies have been conducted with preschool children. This limited evidence base in UK preschool children’s PA levels is a cause for concern
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