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Physical activity and sedentary behavior of toddlers and preschoolers in child care centres in Alberta, Canada

Description:
OBJECTIVE: To describe duration of physical activity and duration and bouts of sedentary behaviour during child care in a sample of toddlers and preschoolers (19-60 months) from Alberta, Canada, and to examine whether duration and bouts differed among sex, age and parental immigration status groups. METHODS: One hundred and fourteen children aged 19-60 months from eight child care centres throughout Alberta participated. Data were collected at baseline of a study examining revised Alberta Child Care Accreditation Standards. Duration of physical activity (light (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA)) and duration and bouts (1-4, 5-9, 10-14, and [greater than or equal to] 15 minutes) of sedentary behaviour during child care were accelerometer-derived using 15-second epochs during October/November, 2013. Median [Interquartile ranges] and ANOVAs, accounting for the clustered nature of the data, were calculated. RESULTS: Minutes/hour spent in sedentary behaviour, LPA and MVPA were 36.9 [32.9, 40.7], 18.4 [16.0, 20.9] and 4.2 [2.5, 5.6] respectively. Frequency/hour of sedentary bouts lasting 1-4, 5-9, 10-14 and [greater than or equal to] 15 mins were 6.7 [6.1, 7.6], 0.9 [0.6, 1.1], 0.4 [0.2, 0.5] and 0.3 [0.2, 0.4] respectively. Preschoolers participated in less sedentary behaviour and more LPA and MVPA, and had fewer sedentary bouts lasting 10-14 and [greater than or equal to]15 mins compared to toddlers (p 0.05). CONCLUSION: This is the first Canadian study to report on the duration of physical activity and duration and bouts of sedentary behaviour among both toddlers and preschoolers attending child care centres. These findings suggest child care interventions are needed to increase MVPA and decrease total sedentary behaviour while continuing to promote short sedentary bouts. (author abstract)
Resource Type:
Reports & Papers
Country:
Canada

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