1.Physical activity patterns and influencing factors of preschooler in and outside of kindergarten during weekdays
WEI Lai, YE Peiqi, L Pingping, LIU Su, HUANG Jinjiao, SHI Huijing
Chinese Journal of School Health 2024;45(10):1420-1425
Objective:
To evaluate the characteristics and related factors of physical activities both inside and outside the kindergarten among preschool children, so as to provide a reference for promoting targeted physical activities among different types of children in the future.
Methods:
From April 2016 to December 2022, 706 preschool children aged 3 to 6 years from the Shanghai parent child cohort followed up. Accelerometers were used to measure their physical activities during kindergarten hours, and a parent questionnaire was employed to assess their physical activities and screen time outside the kindergarten. Restrictive cubic spline analysis was used to examine the relationship between moderate to vigorous physical activities (MVPA) inside and outside the kindergarten. Cluster analysis was performed to identify physical activity patterns among children, and multinomial Logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the influencing factors of these physical activity patterns.
Results:
On weekdays, preschooler accumulated an average of (40.83±15.71) minutes of MVPA inside the kindergarten and 30(15, 53) minutes outside daily. Restricted cubic spline analysis revealed an inverted U shaped relationship between MVPA inside and outside the kindergarten. Cluster analysis identified four groups: low daily MVPA but active inside (196, 27.8%), moderate daily MVPA but high screen time outside (97, 13.7%), adequate daily MVPA and relatively active outside (96, 13.6%), and low daily MVPA and relatively inactive both inside and outside (317, 44.9%). Compared to the reference group of adequate daily MVPA and relatively active outside, children with screen time exceeding 60 minutes at 2 years old were more likely to belong to the group with adequate daily MVPA but more screen time outside ( OR =3.84, 95% CI =1.16-12.74, P <0.05). Boys had a lower likelihood of being in the group with low daily MVPA and relatively inactive both inside and outside ( OR =0.33, 95% CI =0.16-0.70, P <0.05). Children from neighborhoods with insufficient sport facilities were more likely to be in the low daily MVPA and relatively inactive group ( OR =2.20, 95% CI = 1.05 -4.63, P <0.05).
Conclusions
Behavior patterns of physical activity and screen time for both inside and outside the kindergarten vary greatly among different children. Screen time at the age of 2 and the sports facilities around the commuinty are key factors influencing the physical activity pattern. It is recommended to implement personalized intervention plans in collaboration with schools and families for different types of children.