Social and environmental factors associated with preschoolers’ nonsedentary physical activity

The two-fold purpose of the investigation was (1) to describe with direct observation data the physical activity behaviors and the accompanying social and environmental events of those behaviors for children in preschools; and (2) to determine which contextual conditions were predictors of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and non-sedentary physical activity (i.e., light activity + MVPA) for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children during their outdoor play. The results indicate that preschoolers ’ physical activity is characterized as sedentary in nature throughout their preschool day (i.e., 89 % sedentary, 8 % light activity, 3 % MVPA). During outdoor play periods, when children are most likely to be physically active, some contextual and social circumstances better predict their physical activity. Implications for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers are discussed. Keywords preschool children; physical activity; physical inactivity; childhood overweight and obesity; direct observation methods Recently, the childhood obesity rate has increased considerably in the United States, and many children are becoming overweight at younger ages. Ogden and colleagues (2006) reported tha