Abstract
BackgroundThis study aimed to compare the levels of objectively-measured sedentary behavior in children attending Montessori preschools with those attending traditional preschools.MethodsThe participants in this study were preschool children aged 4 years old who were enrolled in Montessori and traditional preschools. The preschool children wore ActiGraph accelerometers. Accelerometers were initialized using 15-second intervals and sedentary behavior was defined as <200 counts/15-second. The accelerometry data were summarized into the average minutes per hour spent in sedentary behavior during the in-school, the after-school, and the total-day period. Mixed linear regression models were used to determine differences in the average time spent in sedentary behavior between children attending traditional and Montessori preschools, after adjusting for selected potential correlates of preschoolers’ sedentary behavior.ResultsChildren attending Montessori preschools spent less time in sedentary behavior than those attending traditional preschools during the in-school (44.4. min/hr vs. 47.1 min/hr, P = 0.03), after-school (42.8. min/hr vs. 44.7 min/hr, P = 0.04), and total-day (43.7 min/hr vs. 45.5 min/hr, P = 0. 009) periods. School type (Montessori or traditional), preschool setting (private or public), socio-demographic factors (age, gender, and socioeconomic status) were found to be significant predictors of preschoolers’ sedentary behavior.ConclusionsLevels of objectively-measured sedentary behavior were significantly lower among children attending Montessori preschools compared to children attending traditional preschools. Future research should examine the specific characteristics of Montessori preschools that predict the lower levels of sedentary behavior among children attending these preschools compared to children attending traditional preschools.
Highlights
This study aimed to compare the levels of objectively-measured sedentary behavior in children attending Montessori preschools with those attending traditional preschools
The average number of days and hours per day that the children wore accelerometers during the in-school, after-school, and total-day period were similar between children attending traditional preschool and those attending Montessori preschools (Table 1)
The lower time spent in sedentary behavior in Montessori preschools remained after further adjusting for child’s participation in after-school sports program (Table 2)
Summary
This study aimed to compare the levels of objectively-measured sedentary behavior in children attending Montessori preschools with those attending traditional preschools. The prevalence of childhood obesity in the U.S has reached epidemic proportions in recent decades [1,2] This trend has been observed among preschool children [3,4]. 5.1 million children are enrolled in preschools or child care centers in the U.S [9], and the majority spend more than 6 hours per day in these settings [10]. It is important, to monitor levels of sedentary behavior in the preschool setting. Quantifying levels of sedentary behavior in young children is challenging due to their intermittent movement patterns and inability to recall past behavior [11]
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