Children’s Physical Activity Levels in a Physical Activity-Focused Afterschool Program: A Pilot Study

Objective: To investigate the effects of the BAILAMOSTM dance program on physical activity (PA), cardiorespiratory, and cognitive health. Methods: A parallel, two-armed pilot study was conducted with 57 older Latinos randomized to the BAILAMOSTM dance program ( n = 28) or health education (HE) ( n = 29). We conducted two- and three-way repeated-measures ANOVAs. Results: BAILAMOSTM participants increased participation in leisure moderate-to-vigorous PA (LMVPA) ( F[1,53] = 3.17, p = .048, η2 G = .01) and performance in global cognition relative to HE participants ( F[1,52] = 4.19, p = .045, η2 G = .01). Attendance moderated increases in moderate PA, MVPA, LMVPA, and total PA ( p < .05). Participants of both groups with ≥75% attendance increased participation in PA. Among participants with <75% attendance, BAILAMOSTM participants increased PA relative to HE. Discussion: BAILAMOSTM positively impacted self-reported PA and global cognition in older Latinos. Even smaller doses of dance appear to impact self-reported PA levels.

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Impact of parents’ physical activity on preschool children’s physical activity: a cross-sectional study

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.4405 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e4405 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Chang Xu ◽

Minghui Quan ◽

Hanbin Zhang ◽

Chenglin Zhou ◽

PeiJie Chen

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Sedentary Behavior ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Maternal Influence ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Physical Activity Levels ◽

Paternal Influence ◽

Children’S Physical Activity

Purpose This study examined the associations of physical activity levels between parents and their pre-school children based on gender and weekday/weekend. Method A total of 247 parent-preschool child triads from Shanghai, China were analyzed. The children had a mean age of 57.5 ± 5.2 months. Both sedentary behavior and physical activity were measured in all participants using an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer over seven consecutive days from Monday through the following Sunday. A multivariate regression model was derived to identify significant relationships between parental and child physical activity according to gender and weekday/weekend. Results There was a significant correlation between mothers’ and girls’ moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and total physical activity (TPA) on weekdays. Fathers’ MPVA levels correlated significantly with those of boys and girls, with paternal influence appearing to be stronger than maternal influence. However, there was not a significant correlation between fathers’ and children’s TPA. TPA levels of both mothers and fathers correlated with those of girls, but not with those of boys. Parental sedentary levels on the weekend correlated significantly with girls’ levels, but not with boys’ levels. Children’s physical activity levels on weekends were influenced more by fathers’ activity levels than by mothers’, while the opposite was observed on weekdays. Conclusion Sedentary behavior and physical activity levels of parents can strongly influence those of their preschool children, with maternal influence stronger during the weekdays and paternal influence stronger on the weekends. Parents’ activity levels influence girls’ levels more strongly than they influence boys’ levels.

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Physical Activity in Preschool Children With the Transition to Outdoors

Journal of Physical Activity and Health ◽

10.1123/jpah.10.2.170 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 170-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Russell R. Pate ◽

Marsha Dowda ◽

William H. Brown ◽

Jonathan Mitchell ◽

Cheryl Addy

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Time Course ◽

Outdoor Play ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Physically Active ◽

Minute Period ◽

Physical Activity Levels ◽

Trained Observers ◽

Children’S Physical Activity ◽

Observation Period

Background:It is known that children are more physically active outdoors than indoors. However, few previous studies have observed the time course for physical activity as young children transition from indoor to outdoor activities.Methods:Participants were 3- to 5-year-old children enrolled in the Children’s Activity and Movement in Preschool Study (CHAMPS). Trained observers used the Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children-Preschool Version (OSRAC-P) to record children’s physical activity levels over 20 minutes in outdoor settings. The 20-minute outdoor observational period began immediately following the transition from indoors to outdoors.Results:Children’s activity levels were moderately high at the time of transition and declined over the 20-minute observation period. Different patterns, however, were observed for boys and girls. Overall, boys were more active than girls. Boys’ activity levels declined in a linear fashion over the 20-minute period, while girls’ activity levels increased slightly, decreased, and then increased slightly again.Conclusions:These data indicate that physical activity levels decline with increased duration of outdoor play. The frequency and duration of outdoor play should be investigated for the purpose of optimizing physical activity levels.

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