Background/Purpose Preschool-age children are thought to be highly physically active; however, recent evidence is equivocal (Pate et al., 2008). Direct observation methods can measure physical activity of children within the context of common settings, such as preschools.
Method Sixty one (34 girls, MBMIpercentile = 48.0±30.0) 4- and 5-year-olds attending a university preschool were observed twice using the Observational System for Recording Physical Activity – Preschool (OSRAC-P; Brown et al., 2006). The instrument affords opportunity to record five PA intensity levels. Moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was defined as the fourth and fifth levels of the OSRAC-P. A sector category was added to characterize the center's outdoor space and included: L-shaped cement path (120m2); grass field (364m2); playground with fixed equipment (300m2); and sandbox (32 m2). Satisfactory inter-rater reliability values (n=15) for PA level (M =.85, SD =.04) and sector M =.97, (SD =.03) were obtained. A total of 5477 intervals were analyzed.
Analysis/Results Generalized linear estimating equations were calculated using grass as the reference sector (Wald Χ 2 = 47.61, p < .001). The grass area contained two times more children in MVPA than the playground (B = .86, p < .001). No significant difference was found for the cement path (B = .02, p = .88), and no children in MVPA were observed in the sandbox.
Conclusions Large open field spaces fostered MVPA in this age group. Additional investigations are needed to identify policies and environments that optimally promote regular PA in child care settings.