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Abstract
Objectives This study examined the relationship between environmental correlates and children’s sedentary time (ST), light physical activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in preschool children.
Design Cross-sectional study
Setting A birth cohort in Drenthe, a northern province and relatively rural area of the Netherlands.
Participants Valid data both for the ActiGraph and the questionnaire were obtained from 505 child–parent pairs.
Primary and secondary outcome measures ST, LPA and MVPA of children were objectively measured by ActiGraph accelerometry (minimum three wearing days, more than 10 hours/day). Environmental correlates were collected using a questionnaire reported by parents that included household characteristics, parental and children’s PA behaviours and neighbourhood environment (eg, traffic safety, road network and presence of PA facilities). Potential correlates were identified using linear regression analysis, adjusted by age, gender, siblings, and maternal age and education level. Ordinary least square regression-based path analysis was used to estimate direct and indirect effects on activity outcomes in mediation models.
Results Linear regression analysis showed that ‘parents taking children to play sports’ was related to less ST, more LPA and MVPA; more outdoor play was also related to less ST and more LPA, but not MVPA. Parents who perceived more PA facilities in their neighbourhood showed more support for ‘taking children to play sports’, and this was associated with less ST or more MVPA compared with children living with less PA facilities in their neighbourhood. No evidence was found for a relation between traffic safety or road network with ST, LPA and MVPA.
Conclusions This study indicated that parental support and child outdoor play may influence children’s daily PA patterns. Convenient neighbourhood PA facilities, such as parks and playgrounds, had an indirect effect through parental support associated with lower children’s ST and higher MVPA, even in relatively rural areas.
- physical activity
- sedentary behaviours
- environmental correlates
- parental support
- preschool children
- traffic safety
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Footnotes
Contributors EC designed the study and was involved in the interpretation of data and the discussion. CL analysed and interpreted the data, and drafted the manuscript. GH helped to interpret the data and revise the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Funding This work was supported by an unrestricted grant from Hutchison Whampoa Ltd., Hong Kong, and by the University of Groningen, Well Baby Clinic Foundation Icare, Noordlease, Pediatric Association of the Netherlands and Youth Health Care Drenthe.
Disclaimer None sponsor was involved in the study design, data collection and analysis, interpretation of data, writing the manuscript and the decision to submit the paper for publication.
Competing interests None declared.
Ethics approval The study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the University Medical Center Groningen and was performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Data sharing statement The data sets used and analysed during the study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Correction notice This article has been corrected since it first published online. The open access licence type has been amended.
Patient consent for publication Obtained.