Are low-income preschoolers physically active at preschool settings? A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Preschools may provide opportunities for children to engage in physical activity (PA), to benefit their health, although little is known when concerning low-income preschoolers. This study aimed (1) to describe time spent in PA among low-income children during preschool hours and (2) to analyse how many children meet the PA recommendations during preschool hours. METHODS: A total of 204 low-income preschoolers (4.51 ± 0.79 years) from João Pessoa/Brazil provided valid accelerometer (Actigraph, WGT3-X) data during the preschool period. Children were grouped in quartiles of PA in counts per minute, according to sex and age. The General Linear Model Univariate was used to examine the differences in PA intensities between the quartiles and the time spent in total PA (TPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) by quartiles, according to age. An hour-by-hour description of children's PA was presented. RESULTS: TPA during preschool hours ranged from 68.33% to 113.89% of the recommended and from 28.34% to 81.68% of the MVPA recommendations. Among 5-year-old children, those in the highest quartile met the PA recommendations. All children were more active outdoors than indoors. For the less actives, preschool time corresponded to 30% of the recommended daily MVPA. CONCLUSION: The current results reinforce the importance of preschool settings for promoting preschoolers' PA and provide particularly important and useful information for tailoring preschool-based interventions focused on those who need it most. Strategies to increase children's MVPA should be prioritized during free-play time.

Adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines in low-income Brazilian preschoolers and associations with demographic correlates.

BACKGROUND: The importance of movement behaviors for health is well known, although few studies have examined the adherence to movement guidelines in low-income preschoolers from a middle-income country, as Brazil. This study reports the proportion of preschoolers meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines and investigates its associations with demographic correlates in Brazilian low-income preschoolers. METHODS: Two hundred and seventy preschoolers (132 boys, means age = 3.97 ± 0.80) provided physical activity (PA) data (Actigraph wGT3X). Sleep duration, screen time, and social correlates were parent-reported. Preschoolers were classified as compliant/not compliant with the 24-hour movement guidelines. Relationships between compliance with movement behaviors guidelines and demographic correlates were calculated using a network analysis (Mplus 8.0; Rstudio). RESULTS: Preschoolers were active (273.52 ± 62.08 minutes/day of total PA), though moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) time was below the guideline (58.68 ± 22.51 minutes/day); spent more than the recommended 60 minutes/day on screen time (169.91 ± 97.07 minutes/day); and slept less than 10 hours per night (9.44 ± 1.12 hours/day). Only 3% of the sample complied with the guidelines. PA showed the highest compliance (43%), compared to sleep duration (35%) and screen time (15%). Male sex was related to adherence to MVPA recommendations, while female sex, with adherence to total PA recommendations. Child's primary caregiver was the most important centrality indicator in the network. CONCLUSION: Only 3% of the assessed preschoolers are compliant with the 24-hour movement behaviors guidelines. Strategies to promote adherence to movement behaviors among low-income preschoolers should consider child's primary caregivers to support movement behaviors.

Twenty-four-hour movement behaviours and fundamental movement skills in preschool children: A compositional and isotemporal substitution analysis.

Studies that have analysed the association between the different movement behaviours and fundamental movement skills (FMS) have considered it in an independent manner, disregarding the compositional nature of 24-h movement behaviours (24-h MB). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the 24-h MB and FMS in preschoolers using a compositional data analysis . Two hundred and four preschoolers (4.5 ± 0.8 years old; 101 boys) provided objectively assessed physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) data (Actigraph wGT3X), and FMS (TGMD-2). Sleep duration (SD) was reported by parents. Association of daily composition of movement behaviours with FMS was explored using compositional analysis and isotemporal substitution (R Core Team, 3.6.1). When considered as a 24-h MB composition (PA, SB and SD), adjusted for age, BMI and sex, the composition predicted locomotor (r2 = 0.31), object control (r2 = 0.19), and total motor score (r2 = 0.35), respectively (all P < 0.001). Reallocation of time from light to moderate-to-vigorous PA was associated with greatest positive changes in total motor score. Achieving adequate balance between movement behaviours over the 24-h period, and its relationship with locomotor and object control skills should be considered and further investigated in early childhood.