Abstract
ABSTRACTObjective: To summarize indicators and describe in detail the methods used to physical activity and sedentary behavior measurement in South American preschool children.Data source: In 2017, we searched for articles on researches carried out in South American countries, which presented physical activity and/or sedentary behavior indicators in children aged two to six years. These searches were conducted in Spanish, English, and Portuguese in four electronic databases (LILACS, PubMed, SciELO, and Web of Science), Google Scholar, and in reference lists.Data summary: Out of 416 articles initially assessed, 13 composed the descriptive summary. Samples from Argentina, Brazil, and Chile were included. Three articles provided accelerometer-based estimates of moderate physical activity: 32, 70.1, and 71.3 minutes per day. The mean total sedentary behavior was 468.3 and 562.9 minutes per day and, considering the cut-off point of 2 hours per day of screen time, we found the following prevalence rates: 39.4, 40.3, and 100%. The studies adopted a wide number of instruments and strategies to evaluate those behaviors.Conclusions: Although the summary has pointed to high exposure to sedentary behavior in preschool children, with particular focus on screen time, it is essential to broaden the discussion and approximate the methods used to assess physical activity and sedentary behavior, making the evidence more comparable and strong, so as to elaborate preventive strategies and actions.
Highlights
We emphasize that recreational screen time is one of the most common indicators of sedentary behavior in studies conducted with children and adolescents.[6,7]
Psychological, social, and cognitive benefits associated with the practice of regular physical activity in childhood,[8,9] it is noteworthy that the topic of sedentary behavior is becoming more prominent, due to the awareness of its risk associations with body composition, psychosocial health, and cognitive development[10,11] in preschool children, with the latter two variables presenting potential dose-response relationships.[10]
We searched for original articles, with observational design, conducted in South American countries, without requiring a representative sample, and presenting indicators of physical activity and/or sedentary behavior in preschool children, classified, for this study, as those aged two to six years
Summary
Considering that most researches that substantiate the knowledge available were conducted in North American and European countries and Australia and that socioeconomic status is an important determinant of development in preschool age,[12] the gathering and discussion of indicators of physical activity and sedentary behavior from other locations worldwide become valuable. In this regard, South America stands out as a place of interest, both for the increased prevalence of inactive adolescents and their high exposure to recreational screen time in various parts of the continent[13,14] and for being an important research development center on the topic.[15]
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