Abstract
Little is known about physical activity (PA) of preschool-age children in Poland through the course of the day. PA monitoring using an accelerometer increases the reliability of measuring daily PA levels and offers a reasonable compromise between accuracy and feasibility of measurement. The aim of the study was to determine the level of physical activity of preschool children (aged 5–6) on the basis of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) index and the number of steps. The physical activity of preschool children was assessed using accelerometery (ActiGraph) in 371 children for up to seven days. The normality of distribution was assessed using the Shapiro–Wilk test. The Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used to assess the significance of differences. The study group children had an average age of 5.4 years (± 0.6). Boys and girls showed a different level of MVPA index. The results significantly improve the current knowledge of PA in Europe. Promoting active lifestyles in children should be one of the health priorities in developed countries.
Highlights
1.02 million Polish children aged 3–6 years attend kindergartens, and this number has increased significantly over the last decade [1]
The analysis showed that the boys had higher total physical activity (PA) levels and spent more time in moderate activities and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and took more steps per day
Based on the analysis of our own study results, we found that the boys were more active than the girls
Summary
1.02 million Polish children aged 3–6 years attend kindergartens, and this number has increased significantly over the last decade (by about 25%) [1]. Children spend 35 h a week in kindergartens or day-care centers [1]. As the number of children in kindergartens increases, it is likely that their level of physical activity (PA) decreases, which affects their energy balance and exposes them to the risk of becoming overweight. Preschool-age children are commonly believed to be physically active [2]. Regular PA of appropriate intensity provides many benefits to the health of children.
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