Analysis of selected aspects of movement and health of preschool children during the epidemic

In the present thesis, we analysed aspects of health and physical activity in preschool children before, during and after interventions to contain the spread of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). 195 parents from Ljubljana, Vrhnika, Brezovica, Horjul and their surroundings took part in the survey. Only parents of children aged 2–6 years were included in the survey. We were interested in the frequency of children's physical activity in the urban and natural environments, and whether certain epidemic periods had an impact on the frequency of physical activity and time spent outdoors. We compared the frequency of children's outdoor activity before and during the epidemic and compared it with other foreign studies. In addition, we wanted to know how often children consumed fruit and vegetables during each wave of the epidemic and whether they were more likely to reach for fruit or vegetables than before. We also wanted to know whether children had regular mealtimes, as they did when in kindergarten. All data were collected in July 2021 through an online survey sent to parents via various social networks. The data were then analysed in Microsoft Excel. The analysis was carried out in four phases. First, the data were quantified, recorded and tabulated according to the urban or natural environment, according to the frequency and time of physical activity during the week and at the weekend, and according to the frequency of fruit and vegetables consumption over a period of time and the number of meals per day. Then we calculated the percentages to see clearer differences in the variables. In the third step, the variables were plotted in graph from. In the final stage, we explained all our findings in writing and linked them to the literature and other international research. The study found that children's physical activity in both outdoor urban and outdoor natural environments was the lowest during the first wave of the epidemic, with a 23.5 % decrease in urban and a 4.5 % decrease in natural environment during this period. Children were more likely to eat fruit than vegetables, with 74 % of children eating fruit and 58 % eating vegetables daily during the epidemic. Most parents (47 %) provided the same number of meals for their children during lockdown as before COVID-19, when children were in kindergartens, namely 3 main meals and 2 snacks. However, most children (50 %), had these meals adapted to their daily situation. The results showed that people got accustomed to a new lifestyle during the different waves of the epidemic, but became aware of the importance of children's outdoor physical activity as the frequency of outdoor physical activity increased again after the first wave of the epidemic