Physical Activity In Young Children Research Articles

Associations between the home yard and preschoolers' outdoor play and physical activity.

Cross-sectional observational study. The PLAY Spaces and Environments for Children's Physical Activity (PLAYCE) study (2015-2017) included 1596 children aged 2-5 years attending early childhood education and care (ECEC) services throughout metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. In this study, a subsample of 224 parents from the PLAYCE study completed an online questionnaire about home-yard features (yard size, lawn quality, natural features, fixed and portable play equipment, and flowers and vegetables/herbs). Accelerometers measured the duration of preschoolers' moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) on non-ECEC days. Parent-reported outdoor play at home, sociodemographic factors and social environment factors were collected via the PLAYCE parent survey. Multiple linear regression models were used to determine associations between home-yard features and preschoolers' outdoor play and physical activity. Children spent 68.9 (SD 2.2) minutes playing outdoors in the home yard per day, and 93.3 (SD 37.1) minutes in MVPA per day on non-ECEC days. After adjusting for child and parent factors, home-yard features positively associated with outdoor play included yard size, lawn quality, number of types of fixed and portable play equipment, natural features and play areas (all p ≤ 0.05). When all significant home-yard features were placed in a model, only the number of types of fixed play equipment was positively associated with minutes of outdoor play per day (β = 5.3, p < 0.001). After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, the number of types of portable play equipment in the yard was positively associated with MVPA minutes per day (β = 2.16, p = 0.019); however, this became nonsignificant after further adjusting for social environment factors. Features of the home-yard physical environment were positively associated with preschoolers' outdoor play and physical activity. Each additional type of fixed play equipment present was associated with an additional 5 minutes of outdoor play per day. These findings suggest that the home-yard space has the potential to facilitate increased outdoor play in young children. Further research is warranted to explore causal relationships between home-yard attributes and young children's outdoor play and physical activity.

The theoretical foundation, fidelity, feasibility, and acceptability of a teacher training to promote physical activity among preschoolers in child care: A pilot study.

This article describes the Wellness Enhancing Physical Activity in Young Children (WE PLAY) teacher training, which was designed to assist early childhood educators to promote physical activity among preschoolers in child care. We describe the WE PLAY intervention and its grounding in constructs from theories of health behavior and an implementation science framework. Fidelity, feasibility, and acceptability data from the WE PLAY pilot study, a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) with six Head Start programs in Massachusetts. Data, collected between October 2017–May 2018, are from teachers and supervisors at 3 preschool programs who participated in the WE PLAY (intervention) group. To understand program feasibility and acceptability, we used the Usage Rating Profile-Intervention (URP-I; n = 13) and key informant interviews (n = 5). The URP-I is a validated teacher survey with 6 subscales (Acceptability, Understanding, Feasibility, Family-School Collaboration, Systems Climate, and Systems Support). It was administered twice; immediately after users completed the first component, an online training (week 2), and after implementation of all program components (week 4). WE PLAY was implemented as it was intended, and it was considered acceptable and feasible to users. There was an increase in users' understanding of how to implement the program between weeks 2 and 4, and a concomitant decrease in the amount of additional systems-level supports users thought they would need to implement WE PLAY between weeks 2 and 4. WE PLAY was easily understandable and feasible to implement in real world settings, it was highly acceptable to users, and it deserves further testing.

A pilot randomized controlled trial examining the impact of a sleep intervention targeting home routines on young children's (3-6years) physical activity.

Given evidence suggesting that sleep impacts on metabolic processes, interventions targeting sleep may improve child physical activity (PA). To describe the potential effect of an intervention to increase sleep on young children's (3-6years) moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) and total PA. To determine adherence to the intervention, impact on sleep duration as well as feasibility, uptake and acceptability was also assessed. Pilot randomized controlled trial with 76 parent-child dyads randomly allocated to an intervention (n=38) or control group (n=38). Parents in the intervention group received a 3-month theory-informed intervention consisting of an online video, a telephone call and two text messages. Child PA was assessed using accelerometers at baseline and approximately 3months. Parents also completed a sleep log and a telephone interview. The consent rate was 41% (76/186). Estimated effect size for the intervention relative to control was 10.8min/day for MVPA, 2.7min/day for PA and 0.9h for sleep. Sixteen (44%) parents accessed the video, and 18 (50%) received the telephone call. Over 40% of parents found the video and telephone call useful/very useful. This study reports promising effects that an intervention targeting sleep may improve child MVPA and sleep duration. Some modifications to data collection methods and intervention delivery are needed.

Animal model of social conformity in the group ethanol drinking rats

Associations between maternal correlates and young children's physical activity levels across the whole day and the segmented day were examined.Cross-sectional studyParticipants were 136 mothers and their 1–3 year old children recruited between July 2013 and March 2014. Mothers reported time spent providing physical activity opportunities for their child, co-participating in and modelling physical activity and sedentary behaviours during the morning, afternoon and evening. Participants wore ActiGraph GT3X (mothers) and GT3X+ (children) accelerometers concurrently for seven consecutive days and the time spent in light- (LPA), moderate- to vigorous- (MVPA) and total (LMVPA) physical activity were assessed. Two-level (family; recruitment group) multivariate models examined associations between maternal correlates (including maternal objectively-assessed sedentary time [ST] and physical activity) and children's physical activity.Maternal self-reported co-participation in sedentary behaviour and provision of child opportunities for physical activity were associated with children's physical activity; associations varied by period and physical activity intensity. During the morning period, mothers’ objectively assessed ST was negatively associated with children's MVPA and LMVPA while her LPA was positively associated with children's LPA, MVPA and LMVPA. Mothers’ MVPA was negatively associated with children's LPA and LMVPA during the evening period.Maternal correlates of young children's physical activity may be period- and intensity-specific. Programmes promoting physical activity for families may need to consider incorporating strategies to reduce mother–child co-participation in sedentary behaviour, increase mothers’ provision of opportunities to be active and increase mothers’ own LPA over ST during certain periods of the day.

Examining Young Children's Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors in an Exergaming Program Using Accelerometry.

Exergaming has been observed to be a viable supplemental approach in promoting physical activity (PA) among children. However, whether sex differences in PA and sedentary behaviors exist during exergaming is inconsistent. Thus, this study aimed to quantify, via accelerometry, young children’s PA and sedentary behaviors during exergaming as well as examine sex differences in these PA and sedentary behaviors during gameplay. In total, 121 first- and second-grade children (mean age = 6.89 ± 0.9 years; 73 girls) were included in the analysis. Children were a part of a large 18-week parent study. Children wore ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers during exergaming play, with four measurements purposively selected from the 28 total exergaming sessions to capture children’s PA and sedentary behaviors during exergaming play. Outcome variables included mean percentages of time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), light PA (LPA), and sedentary behavior during each exergaming session. One-way ANOVA was performed to determine whether there were differences in the percentage of time engaged in MVPA, LPA, and sedentary behavior during exergaming by sex. Accelerometry data indicated that children’s mean percentage of exergaming time spent in MVPA, LPA, and sedentary behavior were 19.9%, 32.9%, and 47.2%, respectively. However, no sex differences were present. Observations in this study indicated that boys and girls have similar PA levels during exergaming and suggests that features inherent to exergaming may assist in PA promotion among both sexes.

Parental physical activity is associated with objectively measured physical activity in young children in a sex-specific manner: the GECKO Drenthe cohort

BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) is important in combating childhood obesity. Parents, and thus parental PA, could influence PA in young children. We examined whether the time spent at different intensities of PA and the type of parental PA are associated with the PA of children aged 4–7 years, and whether the associations between child-parent pairs were sex-specific.MethodsAll the participants were recruited from the Groningen Expert Center for Kids with Obesity (GECKO) birth cohort (babies born between 1 April 2006 and 1 April 2007 in Drenthe province, the Netherlands) and were aged 4–7 years during measurement. PA in children was measured using the ActiGraph GT3X (worn at least 3 days, ≥10 h per day). PA in parents was assessed using the validated SQUASH questionnaire.ResultsOf the N = 1146 children with valid ActiGraph data and 838 mothers and 814 fathers with valid questionnaire data, 623 child-parent pairs with complete data were analysed. More leisure time PA in mothers was associated with more time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in children (Spearman r = 0.079, P < .05). Maternal PA was significantly related to PA in girls, but not boys. More time spent in maternal vigorous PA, in sports activity, and leisure time PA, were all related to higher MVPA in girls (Spearman r = 0.159, r = 0.133 and r = 0.127 respectively, Pall < .05). In fathers, PA levels were predominantly related to PA in sons. High MVPA in fathers was also related to high MVPA in sons (r = 0.132, P < 0.5). Spending more time in light PA was related to more sedentary time and less time in MVPA in sons.ConclusionsHigher PA in mothers, for instance in leisure activities, is related to higher PA in daughters, and more active fathers are related to more active sons. To support PA in young children, interventions could focus on the PA of the parent of the same sex as the child. Special attention may be needed for families where the parents have sedentary jobs, as children from these families seem to adopt more sedentary behaviour.

Can The Moblees™ Move Canadian Children? Investigating the Impact of a Television Program on Children's Physical Activity.

Background: The effects of messaging about physical activity and sedentary behavior purposefully integrated into children's TV programming on children's behavior is unknown. The Moblees is a Canadian childrens' show that explicitly promotes physical activity. Two studies were conducted to (1) examine whether children were more physically active when watching a Moblees episode, and (2) explore parental perceptions of the show.Methods: Study 1 was an experimental study with 21 families randomized to watch an episode of The Moblees vs. a control condition. Movement was assessed through accelerometry and observation. A Chi-square test was used to compare the direct observation proportions of children sitting between intervention and control conditions. Independent t-tests were performed to examine the differences in total vector magnitude counts between the experimental and control groups. Study 2 was an online cross-sectional study with 104 parent/child dyads that included viewing an episode of The Moblees. To identify correlates and predictors of parent-reported child PA during viewing The Moblees compared to other TV programs, Pearson's correlations and a linear regression were calculated, respectively.Results: In study 1 there was a significant association between condition and whether or not children remained sitting χ2 = 55.96, p < 0.001. There was a significant difference in counts between the two conditions, t(13, 61) = 2.29, p < 0.05. Children randomized to the experimental group (i.e., Moblees) moved more compared to control. In study 2 the majority (76%) of parents reported that their child engaged in some physical activity during viewing. Parent encouragement during viewing was the strongest predictor of child physical activity while viewing (β = 0.30, p < 0.01).Conclusion: Television content that includes messaging about physical activity and sedentary behavior, and positive portrayals of physical activity may influence the physical activity of young children. Although the benefits of such modest movement are not clear without further evidence of accumulation over time and/or transfer to other settings, television programming might provide a far reaching medium for knowledge translation.

Sibling influence on children’s objectively measured physical activity: a meta-analysis and systematic review

Children without siblings (only children) have higher rates of obesity than children with siblings. Childhood obesity may be prevented by minimising sedentary behaviour and accumulating sufficient physical activity in young...

Meta-analysis of the Effects of Physical Activity of Young Children on Emotional Intelligence

Meta-analysis of the Effects of Physical Activity of Young Children on Emotional Intelligence

Acceptability and Feasibility of Examining Physical Activity in Young Children with Type 1 Diabetes

Physical activity is important but may be difficult to evaluate in young children (YC) with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) because of parents' fears of hypoglycemia, difficulties engaging YC in physical activity, and use of assessment devices. This study aimed to explore the acceptability and feasibility of an in-lab exercise session for YC with T1D. Ten YC ages 3 through7 years with T1D participated in a 20-minute exercise session while wearing blinded continuous glucose monitors and accelerometers. High acceptability was found for participation in the exercise session; high feasibility and acceptability were reported for the assessments. Although most children completed the session, it did not produce moderate to vigorous physical activity. YC were found to spend most of their day sedentary, and they had frequent blood glucose excursions. Findings support the feasibility of conducting a more extensive examination of the relationship among blood glucose levels and physical activity in YC with T1D.

The longitudinal association between temperament and physical activity in young children

ObjectiveTo examine the longitudinal association of negative affect and physical activity in a population of preschool children. Study designParticipants included 763 children (53% male) attending scheduled health supervision visits in their primary care physicians' offices. Data were collected at two time points at mean ages 27 (SD=5.4) and 47 (SD=6.2) months. Negative affect (NA) was measured using the Negative Affectivity (frustration/anger, decreased soothability) domain of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire. Physical Activity (PA) was assessed using a parent-report questionnaire. Multiple regression analyses tested the association between NA and PA, adjusting for child age, sex, z-BMI, PA at Time 1, maternal education, household income, and season, and examined for sex differences in the relationship between NA and PA. ResultsThe longitudinal association between NA at Time 1 and PA at Time 2 was moderated by sex (p<0.001). After adjusting for covariates, females with greater NA at Time 1 had decreased PA at Time 2 (p=0.01), whereas males with greater NA at Time 1 had increased PA at Time 2 (p=0.01). Specifically, among females, every 1 unit increase in NA at Time 1 was associated with a 9.9min/day decrease in PA at Time 2 (95% CI: −17.1, −2.8). ConclusionsNA and PA were associated early in childhood and the effects of NA on PA were gender specific. These findings underscore the importance of longitudinal and gender-specific analyses in mood-obesity research.

A qualitative study conducted in the USA exploring Latino fathers' beliefs, attitudes and practices related to their young children's eating, physical activity and sedentary behaviours.

Increasing evidence documents fathers' influential role in their children's eating, physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviours (SB). We aimed to expand limited existing research examining fathers' influence in these areas by exploring Latino fathers' beliefs, attitudes and practices related to eating, PA and SB of their young children. Seven focus group discussions were conducted in Spanish with Latino fathers (n 28) of children aged 2-8 years. Audio recordings were transcribed and translated verbatim without identifiers. Data were analysed using thematic analysis to identify key concepts and themes using NVivo 11 software. Fathers expressed positive beliefs and attitudes about the importance of healthy eating for their young children, themselves and their families. Nevertheless, the majority reported familial practices including eating out, getting take-out, etc. that have been linked to increased obesity risk among Latino children. Fathers were more involved and engaged in children's PA than eating and feeding. However, several fathers reported engaging predominantly in sedentary activities with their children, appeared permissive of children's sedentary habits and struggled to set limits on children's screen-time. We provide new information on Latino fathers' beliefs and child feeding and PA practices that may provide important targets for interventions aimed at promoting healthful eating and PA behaviours of Latino children. Future research should further quantify the influence of Latino fathers' parenting styles and practices on development of children's eating, PA and SB. This information is needed to identify risk factors amenable to interventions and to design culturally appropriate parenting and family-based interventions targeting Latino children's home environment and designed to meet this ethnic group's specific needs.

Associations between the physical activity levels of fathers and their children at 20\xa0months, 3.5 and five years of age

BackgroundEarly childhood (under five years of age) is a critical developmental period when children’s physical activity behaviours are shaped and when physical activity patterns begin to emerge. Physical activity levels track from early childhood through to adolescence with low levels of physical activity associated with poorer health. The aims of this study were to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the physical activity levels of fathers and their children at the ages of 20 months, 3.5 and 5 years, and to investigate whether these associations differed based on paternal body mass index (BMI) and education.MethodsThe Melbourne Infant Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT) Program was a cluster randomized-controlled trial delivered to pre-existing first-time parent groups. Physical activity levels of fathers and their first-born children were assessed using the Active Australia Survey and ActiGraph accelerometers respectively. Cross-sectional associations between father and child physical activity behaviours were assessed at each time point. Longitudinal associations between father and child physical activity were also investigated from child age 20 months to both 3.5 and 5 years. Additional stratified analyses were conducted based on paternal BMI and paternal education as a proxy for socioeconomic position (SEP). Data from the control and interventions groups were pooled and all analyses adjusted for intervention status, clustering by first-time parent group and accelerometer wear time.ResultsPhysical activity levels of fathers and their children at child age 20 months were not associated cross-sectionally or longitudinally at child age 3.5 and 5 years. Positive associations were observed between light physical activity of healthy weight fathers and children at age 3.5 years. Inverse associations were observed for moderate/vigorous physical activity between fathers and children at age 5 years, including between overweight/obese fathers and their children at this age in stratified analyses.ConclusionsThere were no clear associations between the physical activity of fathers and children. Future research should include the use of more robust measures of physical activity among fathers to allow in-depth assessment of their physical activity behaviours. Investigation of well-defined correlates of physical activity in young children is warranted to confirm these findings and further progress research in this field.

Fathers' perspectives on the diets and physical activity behaviours of their young children.

BackgroundChildren’s learning about food and physical activity is considerable during their formative years, with parental influence pivotal. Research has focused predominantly on maternal influences with little known about the relationships between fathers’ and young children’s dietary and physical activity behaviours. A greater understanding of paternal beliefs regarding young children’s dietary and physical activity behaviours is important to inform the design and delivery of child-focussed health promotion interventions. This study aimed to describe fathers’ perceived roles in their children’s eating and physical activity behaviours. It also sought to document fathers’ views regarding how they could be best supported to promote healthy eating and physical activity behaviours in their young children.MethodsIn depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty fathers living in socio-economically diverse areas of metropolitan Melbourne, Australia who had at least one child aged five years or less. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed.ResultsThematic analysis of the transcripts revealed eight broad themes about fathers’ beliefs, perceptions and attitudes towards the dietary and physical activity behaviours of their young children: (i) shared responsibility and consultation; (ii) family meal environment; (iii) parental role modelling; (iv) parental concerns around food; (v) food rewards; (vi) health education; (vii) limiting screen time; and (viii) parental knowledge. Analysis of themes according to paternal education/employment revealed no substantial differences in the views of fathers.ConclusionsThis exploratory study presents the views of a socio-economically diverse group of fathers regarding the dietary and physical activity behaviours of their young children and the insights into the underlying perceptions informing these views. The findings suggest that fathers believe healthy eating behaviours and being physically active are important for their young children. Fathers believe these behaviours can be promoted and supported in different ways including through the provision of appropriate meal and physical activity environments and parental role modelling of desired dietary and physical activity behaviours.

Barriers and facilitators to young children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour: a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative literature.

SummaryPositive activity behaviours (i.e. higher physical activity [PA]/lower sedentary behaviour [SB]) are beneficial from infancy, yet evidence suggests that young children (0‐ to 6‐year‐olds) are relatively inactive. To better understand the perceived influences on these behaviours and to aid intervention development, this paper systematically synthesizes the extensive qualitative literature regarding perceived barriers and facilitators to PA and SB in young children (0–6 years old). A search of eight electronic databases (July 2016) identified 43 papers for inclusion. Data extraction and evidence synthesis were conducted using thematic content analysis, underpinned by the socio‐ecological model (i.e. individual, interpersonal, community, organizational and policy levels). Parents, childcare providers and children perceived seven broad themes to be important for PA and SB, including the child; the home; out‐of‐home childcare; parent–childcare provider interactions; environmental factors; safety; and weather. Each theme mapped onto between one and five levels of the socio‐ecological model; barriers and facilitators at the interpersonal level (e.g. parents, care providers and family) were most frequently cited, reflecting the important (perceived) role adults/peers play in shaping young children's behaviours. We provide an overarching framework to explain PA and SB in early childhood. We also highlight where gaps in the current literature exist (e.g. from male carers; in developing countries; and barriers and facilitators in the environmental and policy domains) and where future quantitative work may focus to provide novel insights about children's activity behaviours (e.g. safety and weather).

Maternal-child co-participation in physical activity-related behaviours: prevalence and cross-sectional associations with mothers and children\u2019s objectively assessed physical activity levels

BackgroundCo-participation in physical activity may be a useful strategy for increasing physical activity in mothers and their young children, yet little empirical evidence exists on this topic for young families. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of mother-child co-participation in physical activity and examine the association between co-participatory behaviours and objectively-assessed physical activity in young children and their mothers.MethodsOne-hundred twenty-three 4–6 year-old children and their mothers were recruited from preschools in Belgium between November 2010 and January 2011. Mothers completed a questionnaire assessing the frequency of co-participation in five activities. Both mothers and children wore ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers concurrently for 7 days to assess the time spent in moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and light- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (LMVPA). Descriptive statistics (means, frequencies) were used to determine the prevalence of co-participation. Separate multiple linear regression analyses examined the association between co-participation and mothers’ and children’s physical activity on weekdays and weekends.ResultsMost mothers reported infrequent co-participation in physical activities with their children. On weekdays, walking or cycling for short trips was positively associated with children’s MVPA while attending a park or similar more than once per week was negatively associated with children’s MVPA and LMVPA. Going to an indoor play centre together once or more per week was negatively associated with mother’s LMVPA. On weekends, walking or cycling with their child in their free time was positively associated with both children’s and mothers’ MVPA and childrens’ LMVPA. Going to an indoor play centre together 1–3 times/month was negatively associated with children’s weekend MVPA.ConclusionsReported rates of co-participation in mothers and their preschool children were low. The association with maternal and child physical activity may be dependent on the co-participatory behaviour assessed and may differ between weekday and weekends. Promoting walking and cycling together during leisure time may be an effective strategy to increase both preschool children’s and mothers’ MVPA.

Assessing Parent Perceptions of Physical Activity in Families of Toddlers With Neurodevelopmental Disorders: The Parent Perceptions of Physical Activity Scale (PPPAS).

The purpose of this study was to examine a new tool (PPPAS = Parent Perceptions of Physical Activity Scale-Preschool) developed to study parental perceptions of physical activity (PA) among parents of toddler and preschool age children. 143 children (mean age 31.65 months; 75% male) and their parents were recruited from a neurodevelopmental clinic. Parents completed questionnaires, and both a psychologist and a physician evaluated the children. Eighty-three percent of the children received a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder; 20% of the children had a BMI > 85th percentile. Analyses were conducted to evaluate the reliability, concurrent validity, discriminant validity, and predictive validity of PPPAS scores. Results supported a two-factor structure: Perceptions of the Benefits of PA and the Barriers to PA. The internal consistency of scores was good for both PPPAS subscales, derived from the two factors. Parent perceptions of barriers to PA were significantly correlated with delays in overall adaptive functioning, daily living skills, socialization, and motor skills. When a child's motor skills were delayed, parents were less likely to believe PA was beneficial and perceived more barriers to PA. Parent perceptions of barriers to PA predicted parent-reported weekly unstructured PA and ratings of how physically active their child was compared with other children. We present the PPPAS-Preschool for use in pediatric exercise research and discuss potential applications for the study of parent perceptions of PA in young children.

Setting them up for lifetime activity: Play competence perceptions and physical activity in young children.

Possessing positive physical perceived competence is important for physical activity in older children. Young children are primarily physically active through play-based behaviour rather than through organised sports and activities, so understanding how play perceptions might influence physical activity behaviour is important. The study purpose was to assess if perceived active play competence is associated with young children's physical activity. Cross sectional study. This paper uses two different samples drawn from the same Australian city, both collected in 2013. The first sample included 152 children (49% boys) aged 4-5 years (M=4.7, SD=0.47), the second sample included 78 children (55% boys) aged 5-8 years (M=6.6, SD=0.93). The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence was used to assess children's perceived competence in six skill-related play activities. Moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) was assessed for 8 consecutive days via accelerometers. A general linear model with the mean minutes in MVPA per day as the outcome, perceived play competence as the independent variable and adjusting for relevant confounders was performed in each sample. Perceived active play competence was not related to MVPA min/day (B=0.44, p=0.323) in the younger sample, but was in the older sample (B=1.53, p=0.026), explaining 24% of adjusted variance. Positive findings in the older sample show school-aged children need exposure to play based activities in order to develop the positive self-perception needed to engage in MVPA every day.

Walking the talk? Teachers’ and early years’ practitioners’ perceptions and confidence in delivering the UK Physical Activity Guidelines within the curriculum for young children

ABSTRACTThis study explored early years’ practitioners’ and teachers’ attitudes and confidence in delivering the UK Physical Activity guidelines [National Health Service (NHS). (2013). Physical activity guidelines for children and young people. Retrieved July 15, 2015, from www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/physical-activity-guidelines-for-young-peopole.aspx] within the curriculum for young children [Department for Education (DfE). (2013). The national curriculum in England. Key stages 1 and 2 framework document. London: Department for Education, Crown; Department for Education (DfE). (2014). Statutory framework for the early years’ foundation stage. Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five. London: Department for Education, Crown]. Using an online questionnaire, data were analysed using thematic framework and statistically. Fifty-nine respondents came from early years’ settings, including nurseries, pre-schools and primary schools. The findings suggest that there is a lack of confidence in knowing what to do to support and sustain physical activity. Further research is needed to identify if this is a national trend; this is the next steps of our research, as is the development of resources to help support confidence and the delivery of physical activity for young children.

The levels of physical activity and motor skills in young children with and without autism spectrum disorder, aged 2-5 years.

Autism spectrum disorder is the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States. As such, there is an unprecedented need for research examining factors contributing to the health disparities in this population. This research suggests a relationship between the levels of physical activity and health outcomes. In fact, excessive sedentary behavior during early childhood is associated with a number of negative health outcomes. A total of 53 children participated in this study, including typically developing children (mean age = 42.5 ± 10.78 months, n = 19) and children with autism spectrum disorder (mean age = 47.42 ± 12.81 months, n = 34). The t-test results reveal that children with autism spectrum disorder spent significantly less time per day in sedentary behavior when compared to the typically developing group ( t(52) = 4.57, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the results from the general linear model reveal that there is no relationship between motor skills and the levels of physical activity. The ongoing need for objective measurement of physical activity in young children with autism spectrum disorder is of critical importance as it may shed light on an often overlooked need for early community-based interventions to increase physical activity early on in development.