Boys, older children, and highly active children benefit most from the preschool arena regarding moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: A cross-sectional study of Norwegian preschoolers

Abstract

The preschool environment exerts an important influence on children's behaviour, including physical activity (PA). However, information is lacking regarding where and when most of children's PA is undertaken. This study aimed to describe PA and sedentary time (SED) during preschool hours and time out-of-care, and on weekdays and weekend days, and to investigate differences in PA patterns according to sex, age, and MVPA levels. From September 2015 to June 2016, we measured PA levels of 1109 children (age range, 2.7–6.5 years; mean age 4.7 years; boys, 52%) using ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers for up to 14 consecutive days. We applied a linear mixed model to analyse associations and interactions between total PA (counts per minute [cpm]), light PA (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), SED, sex, age, and overall MVPA regardless of setting, during preschool hours versus time out-of-care, and on weekdays versus weekend days. Children undertook more PA and less SED on weekdays compared to weekend days (p < 0.01). For boys, MVPA levels were higher during preschool hours than during time out-of-care (p < 0.05). Differences in total PA and MVPA between preschool hours versus time out-of-care, and between weekdays and weekend days, were greater in boys, older children, and highly active children than in girls, younger children, and children with lower overall MVPA levels (p < 0.01). The preschool arena is important for children's PA. Concerning MVPA, this study showed that boys, older children, and highly active children benefit more from this environment compared to girls, younger preschoolers, and children with lower MVPA levels.