Physical Activity Levels in Preschool Children During Winter and Summer

Background: National and international studies indicate that three to five year old children do not reach the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) recommendations from the Norwegian Directorate of Health (2014) of minimum 60 minutes per day. The aim of this study was to measure physical activity levels in preschool children aged three to five years during a period in winter and summer. Methods: Physical activity levels were monitored using the Actigraph GT3X from Monday to Wednesday, between 07.30 am and 4.30 pm. The primary physical activity outcome was time spent at different activity intensities. We defined (MVPA) as all activity above 2000 counts/min. Results: 64 % of the children reach the recommendations of MVPA of 60 minutes per day in the winter (n=66), and 50 % in the summer (n=54). The activity level showed differences between the preschools, and the boys spend more minutes in MVPA than the girls do in both periods. Conclusion: The study shows that it can be difficult to achieve adequate physical activity levels in accordance with the recommendations for MVPA. The measurements show that more boys had higher activity level than the girls did. The study shows relatively low activity levels among some children. The reason may be that kindergartens do not have good routines for facilitating enough physical activity.