The two-fold purpose of the investigation was (1) to describe with direct observation data the physical activity behaviors and the accompanying social and environmental events of those behaviors for children in preschools; and (2) to determine which contextual conditions were predictors of moderateto-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and non-sedentary physical activity (i.e., light activity + MVPA) for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children during their outdoor play. The results indicate that preschoolers' physical activity is characterized as sedentary in nature throughout their preschool day (i.e., 89% sedentary, 8% light activity, 3% MVPA). During outdoor play periods, when children are most likely to be physically active, some contextual and social circumstances better predict their physical activity. Implications for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers are discussed.Keywords preschool children; physical activity; physical inactivity; childhood overweight and obesity; direct observation methods Recently, the childhood obesity rate has increased considerably in the United States, and many children are becoming overweight at younger ages. Ogden and colleagues (2006) reported that the prevalence rate of at risk for overweight (i.e., ≥ 85 th percentile) among two-to five-yearold children in the U. S. was 26.2% and during the last five years the rate increased by 4.2%. Within the United States, some populations, such as African American, Hispanic, and lowincome children, have had even higher prevalence rates for childhood weight difficulties (e.g., Haas et al., 2003;Sherry, Mei, Scanlon, Mokdad, & Grummer-Strawn, 2004 NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptChild Dev. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 January 1. Published in final edited form as:Child Dev. 2009 ; 80(1): 45-58. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01245.x. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptSirard, Dowda, Pfeiffer, and Pate (2003) noted that early incidence of being overweight might inhibit young children's physical activity, negatively affecting their future weight status. Finally, Guo, Wu, Chumlea, and Roche (2002) and Baker, Olsen, and Sorensen (2007) reported children's early overweight problems predict adult obesity and significant health problems.The causal nexus between obesity and severe health problems is multifaceted and any connection may be confounded by the fact that both health problems and obesity have been associated with poor diet and lack of exercise. Nevertheless, obesity has been clearly associated with multiple health difficulties, most notably, coronary heart disease, hypertension, type II diabetes, osteoporosis, and some types of cancer (e.g., Blair & Brodney, 1999;Must et al., 1999). Many public health researchers have hypothesized that obesity is related to contemporary diets and physical inactivity (e.g., Biglan, 2004;Troiano & Flegal, 1998). Specifically, modern diets have increased caloric intake, particularly calories with saturated and trans fats and sugars, and the physical...

Researchers are encouraged to take advantage of software to implement missing value imputation, as estimates of activity are more precise and less biased in the presence of intermittent missing accelerometer data than those derived from an observed data analysis approach.

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The study indicates that young children are physically inactive during most of their time in preschool. The preschool that a child attended was a stronger predictor of physical activity level than any other factor examined. Additional research is needed to identify the characteristics of preschools in which children are more active.

We evaluated perceived social and environmental supports for physical activity and walking using multivariable modeling. Perceptions were obtained on a sample of households in a southeastern county. Respondents were classified according to physical activity levels and walking behaviors. Respondents who had good street lighting; trusted their neighbors; and used private recreational facilities, parks, playgrounds, and sports fields were more likely to be regularly active. Perceiving neighbors as being active, having access to sidewalks, and using malls were associated with regular walking.