Promoting Physical Activity in Preschoolers to Prevent Obesity: A Review of the Literature1

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This literature review summarizes clinical recommendations for adequate physical activity and reviews recently published studies that focus on identifying common factors associated with physical activity levels among preschoolers in the United States and Canada. Currently, there is inconsistency in both the definition of and recommendations for physical activity. In addition, there is relatively little research in this area. Common factors and contexts associated with physical activity levels in preschoolers in this review included (a) child characteristics; (b) interpersonal dynamics between preschoolers and their families, childcare providers, and health care providers; (c) childcare setting; and (d) neighborhood environment.

Section snippets

Methods

The first step in our review was to identify current recommendations from the National Association of Sports and Physical Education (NASPE), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American Heart Association (AHA). These recommendations were reviewed to determine both current definitions of physical activity and recommendations for adequate physical activity levels among preschool-age children to assess areas of convergence and divergence.

The second step of the review was to search

Physical Activity Recommendations

Several associations including the AHA, the AAP, and the NASPE propose that children of all ages should participate in daily physical activity to promote health and well-being (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2010, American Heart Association, 2010, National Association for Sports and Physical Education, 2010). The AAP and the NASPE define physical activity as running, swimming, tumbling, throwing, catching, walking, and participating in interactive play through the use of games and various play

Discussion

Childhood obesity is a major public health concern affecting children of all ages with an increased incidence seen in preschoolers over the last few decades (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010, Ogden et al., 2010). Energy intake and energy expenditure through physical activity are key to the development of overweight and obesity in preschoolers. Many preschoolers continue to fall short in meeting daily physical activity requirements set forth by accredited associations. The

Conclusions

Overall, in spite of the immense amount of literature that examines the growing problem of childhood obesity across the life span, there is a relative lack of research that examines physical activity levels specifically in the preschool population. Although this age group was once thought to be extremely active, research suggests that overall, many activities in which preschoolers engage are actually sedentary in nature. This results in surprisingly low levels of physical activity and likely

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    1

    This article was presented in October 2010 at the 2010 annual meeting on the Obesity Society in San Diego, CA.

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