Physical Activity Levels among Preschool-Aged Children in Family Child Care Homes: A Comparison between Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Children Using Accelerometry.

Augustine W Kang,Tayla Von Ash,Kim M Gans,Danielle Castagneri,Laura Dionne,Patricia M Risica,Alison Tovar

doi:10.3390/children8050349

Abstract

Obesity prevalence among Hispanic children is twice that of non-Hispanic white children; Hispanic children may also engage in less physical activity (PA) compared to non-Hispanic white children. A large number of U.S. preschool-aged children are cared for in Family Child Care Homes (FCCH), yet few studies have examined PA levels and ethnicity differences in PA levels among these children. We examine baseline data from a cluster-randomized trial (Healthy Start/Comienzos Sanos) to improve food and PA environments in FCCHs. Children aged 2-to-5-years (n = 342) wore triaxial accelerometers for two days in FCCHs. Variables examined include percentage of time (%) spent in sedentary, and light, moderate, and vigorous PA. The full dataset (n = 342) indicated sedentary behavior 62% ± 11% of the time and only 10% ± 5% of the time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA. Among children in the upper-median half of wear-time (n = 176), Hispanic children had significantly greater % sedentary time vs. Non-Hispanic children (66.2% ± 8.3% vs. 62.6% ± 6.9%, p = 0.007), and lower % light PA (25.4% ± 6.3% vs. 27.7% ± 4.9%, p = 0.008) and moderate PA (5.5% ± 2.1% vs. 6.4% ± 2.2%, p = 0.018). Our results highlight that PA levels were lower among our sample compared to previous studies, and that Hispanic children were more sedentary and less active compared to non-Hispanic white children.

Highlights

Childhood obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s and currently affects 13.9% of preschool-aged (2-to-5-year old) children [1,2]
While our study results indicate low levels of physical activity (PA) similar to previous studies, we identified lower MVPA levels
We report low levels of MVPA overall, and lower PA for younger children and girls compared to older children and boys

Summary

Introduction

Childhood obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s and currently affects 13.9% of preschool-aged (2-to-5-year old) children [1,2]. The etiology of obesity is complex, sedentary behaviors and inadequate levels of physical activity (PA) are contributing factors to childhood obesity [4]. World Health Organization guidelines on PA and sedentary behavior for children recommend: (1) 180 min of PA (at any intensity) for 2-year old children, (2) 180 min of PA, of which 60 min are moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for 3-to-4-year old children, and (3) at least 60 min of MVPA for 5-year old children [6,7]. Studies have reported that only 25% of all children and youth in the U.S currently meet the recommended amounts of PA

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