Review and special articlePreschool Children and Physical Activity: A Review of Correlates
Section snippets
Background
Research into correlates of preschool children's physical activity was first reported in 19801; two thirds of the existing literature in this area has been published since 2001. Although reviews of the correlates of the physical activity behaviors of older youth have been published, none have focused on the correlates of these behaviors in the preschool population.
Inadequate data exist on the current prevalence of preschool children's physical activity levels. Although some studies find that
Search Procedure
Literature included in this review was retrieved from three sources. Computerized searches were carried out using MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, SPORTDISCUS, PsycINFO, Health Source (nursing/academic edition), and Sociological Abstracts electronic databases. Each key term—physical activity, exercise, health behavior, play, physical inactivity, physical fitness—was searched in conjunction with each term in this group: child, kindergarten, childcare, preschool. Bibliographies of retrieved articles and
Results
The articles had been published between 1980 and March 2007. Data were collected and analyzed in 2007. From the included studies, 39 correlates of physical activity behaviors were identified. Nineteen (48.7%) of those correlates were reported in a single study only; 25 variables (64%) were reported in one or two studies. Thirteen (33%) correlates were examined between three and eight times, and one correlate, gender, was examined 15 times. Studies investigated a mean of 3.9 (SD=3.1; range 1–14,
Discussion
This review of correlates of preschool children's physical activity reported support for three variables: Boys are more active than girls; the children of parents who participate in physical activity with them are more active than the children of parents who do not participate; and children who spend more time in outdoor play spaces are more active than children who spend less time outdoors. Unlike reviews for older children and adolescents,10 this review did not find significant results for
References (43)
- et al.
Physical activity patterns of preschool children
Early Child Res Q
(1989) - et al.
Total energy expenditure and physical activity in young Scottish children: mixed longitudinal study
Lancet
(2004) - et al.
Relation between physical activity and energy expenditure in a representative sample of young children
Am J Clin Nutr
(2004) - et al.
Factors associated with physical activity in preschool children
J Pediatr
(2002) - et al.
Influence of parents' physical activity levels on activity levels of young children
J Pediatr
(1991) - et al.
Impact of preschool environment upon children's physical activity and sun exposure
Prev Med
(2006) - et al.
A cognitive model of children's reporting of food intake
Am J Clin Nutr
(1994) - et al.
Development and reproducibility of a food frequency questionnaire to assess diets of older children and adolescents
J Am Diet Assoc
(1995) - et al.
Preschool activity level: personality correlates and developmental implications
Child Dev
(1980) - et al.
National diet and nutrition survey: young people aged 4 to 18 yearsVolume 1: Report of the diet and nutrition survey
(2000)
The Scottish health survey 2003
The effects of parental influences on children's food intake, physical activity, and relative weight
Int J Eat Disord
Family variables and physical activity in preschool children
J Dev Behav Pediatr
Parental correlates of physical activity in children and early adolescents
Sports Med
Do attributes of the physical environment influence children's physical activity?A review of the literature
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act
A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents
Med Sci Sports Exerc
Young people and physical activity: a literature review
Determinants of physical activity in children
World Rev Nutr Diet
Resurrecting free play in young children: looking beyond fitness and fatness to attention, affiliation, and affect
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med
The level and tempo of children's physical activities: an observational study
Med Sci Sports Exerc
Preschool children's accumulated and sustained physical activity
Percept Mot Skills
Cited by (413)
Identifying Challenges and Solutions to Early Childhood Education and the Perceived Importance of Outdoor Time: A Mixed Methods Approach in a Socioeconomically Diverse Population
2023, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health