Kids in daycare and preschool are not engaging in enough physical activity, according to a new study from the University of Washington in Seattle. The research, published online in the journal Pediatrics, found that preschoolers only participate in about 48 minutes of physical activity a day, short of the 60 minutes or more recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It’s just not enough,” lead author Pooja Tandon, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington, told USA Today.
For the study, Tandon and her colleagues observed 98 kids ages 3 to 5 in 10 preschools in the Seattle area over a period of 50 days. The children all wore devices that measured their movement while the research team tracked how much time they spent in active play. The researchers also documented whether a teacher led the physical activities.
The team found that the children spent only 33 minutes playing outside and engaged in a total of about 48 minutes of active play overall. They noted a teacher was involved in less than 10 minutes of physical activity.
Findings showed that the children only spent 12 percent of their time in active play, compared to 29 percent of their time napping. The rest of the day was spent eating or in sedentary activities.
With obesity on the rise in the U.S., healthcare professionals are concerned that spending so little time engaged in physical activities sets a pattern for inactivity in later life.
“The more active the child is from an early age, the more likely they will maintain a higher activity level throughout childhood,” Danelle Fisher, MD, vice chair of pediatrics at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., told HealthDay. “Children also learn social skills in relating to other children during playtime activity. Finally, as parents know, the more active a preschooler is during the day, the more likely he or she will sleep well at night,” added Fisher, who was not involved in the study.
However, Fisher recognized that daycare centers may face challenges to providing opportunities for physical activity, including a lack of appropriate equipment or a safe place for active play. She also cited poor weather conditions and fear of litigation if a child is injured as factors that would limit active-play opportunities.
The solution, say the authors, may require educators to get creative about structuring the preschool day so they can make more time for active play. Suggestions included incorporating physical activity into academic subjects by doing such things as teaching counting while jumping rope or having the children use their bodies to form letters as they learn the alphabet. Other suggestions included additional professional development for teachers and educating parents about the importance of physical activity in child care.
“Children need daily opportunities for physical activity not only for optimal weight status, but because physical activity promotes numerous aspects of health, development, and well-being,” Tandon told HealthDay.
