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EFFECTS OF SEX AND AGE ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS IN 4-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN ATTENDING A DAY CAMP AT THE DIET AND NUTRITION LABORATORY

Abstract

Faten Hasan, Macy Stahl, Damon Swift, Sibylle Kranz. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.

BACKGROUND: According to the National Association of Sports and Physical Education, preschoolers are recommended to engage in at least 60 minutes each of structured and unstructured physical activity (PA). Structured PA refers to periods of time dedicated to PA activities, usually group-based, to provide an opportunity for MVPA engagement. PA in preschoolers remain very low, with a meta-analysis showing that average moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) of preschoolers in childcare settings is 32.1min. PA appears to be greater in boys than girls, healthy versus non-healthy weight children, and decreases with age. However, little is known about whether these factors influence MVPA in structured PA settings. The purpose of this study was to examine average MVPA and the effects of age, sex, and weight status on MVPA in a sample of preschoolers attending a day-camp study. METHODS: Twenty-five 4-year-old children attended four 7-hour long day camps in cohorts of 3-4. This study was conducted first in 2019 and again in 2022 using similar methods. The day camps included three meals/snacks and two 60-minute periods of structured PA, including activities such as soccer, racing, and duck-duck-goose. PA was measured using ActigraphGT3X devices worn on the waist with elastic belts. Data from 29 days was not included due to refusal to wear device (n=18 days), removal of device (n=7), absence (n=2), or device malfunction (n= 2), resulting in 71 days of measurements. Age and sex were parent-reported. Weight and height were used to calculate BMI-for-Age percentile (BMI%ile). Children were stratified into healthy and non-healthy weight by BMI%ile (<85 versus ≥85%ile). T-tests were used to compare the amount of time spent in MVPA by sex and weight status, controlling for cohort and year (2019 versus 2022). Regression analysis was used to estimate the association between both age and BMI%ile and MVPA, both controlling for cohort and year. Significance was determined at p<0.05. RESULTS: Mean age was 53.18±3.89 mo, 44% were females, and mean BMI%ile was 55.2±30.57%. Mean time spent in MVPA was 91.9±55.8 minutes, with 61% of children engaging in at least 60min/d and 41% in at least 120min/d. There was a significant effect of cohort (F(8,62)=21.150, p<0.001) and year (F(1,69)=83.956, p<0.001) on MVPA. Controlling for cohort and year, there were no differences in time spent in MVPA by sex (F(1,67)=2.398, p=0.126) or weight status (F(1,67)=0.682, p=0.412). There was no significant association between age and MVPA (β= -6.92, t=-1.458, p=0.150) or BMI%ile and MVPA (β= 1.964, t=0.68, 0.499). CONCLUSIONS: In our sample, mean MVPA was 300% greater than the reported average. However, the majority of children did not meet recommendations, indicating that additional efforts, such as longer or more strategic PA sessions, may be required to aid children in meeting these guidelines.

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