Sex Differences In Physical Activity And Sedentary Behaviors Between Traditional And Nature-based Pre-kindergarten Program Settings

Abstract

Across all age groups, boys tend to engage in more physical activity (PA) than girls. Previous research has shown that the school setting may have a stronger influence on boys PA and sedentary behavior (SB) than girls, while it has also been suggested that as early as preschool, the school a child attends acts as a strong predictor of moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA). PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare sex differences in Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) children’s PA and SB between a nature-based or traditional classroom setting. METHODS: 18 boys and 7 girls from one Pre-K program enrolled in this study. Data was collected using waist-worn accelerometers for 4 days (2h45min/day) across one week in the winter. Participants spent two days in a traditional classroom setting, and two days in a nature-based setting. Accelerometer data was analyzed using Butte (2014) cutpoints. Mann-Whitney U Tests were used to detect significant differences (p < 0.05) in PA and SB between boys and girls across school settings. RESULTS: Compared to a traditional setting, boys and girls averaged significantly more MVPA in a nature-based setting (Boys: 6.3 ± 6.3 minutes, p < .001; Girls: 5.8 ± 5.0 minutes, p < .001). The change in MVPA between educational settings was not significantly different between boys and girls (p = .790). In a nature-based setting boys spent significantly more time in moderate-intensity PA (MPA) than girls (Diff: 2.9 ± 1.2% of Wear Time [WT]; p = .047), averaging 20- and 17-minutes of MPA per class period, respectively. There were no significant differences in the PA or SB levels of boys and girls in the traditional classroom setting. CONCLUSIONS: Early education is a period during which children begin forming the PA habits they will follow through K-12 schooling and into adulthood. Therefore, any intervention which can promote higher levels of PA at this age should be explored. Boys and girls experienced similar benefits to PA when attending school in a nature-based compared to a traditional setting, therefore this pilot study suggests that educating children in a nature-based setting may promote greater levels of PA in both boys and girls. Due to the pilot nature of this study however, further research examining the potential factors that may explain the sex differences found in a nature-based setting is needed.