A Systematic Review of Data Collection Techniques Used to Measure Preschool Children’s Knowledge of and Preference for Physical Activity

Abstract

Background: Early childhood has been identified as a crucial period in which children develop physical activity preferences and behaviors. Both the knowledge of and preferences for physical activity are key proximal indicators of activity choices in children. Thus, accurate data collection tools are required to measure these variables. This review evaluates the data collection techniques that have been utilised to assess preschool children’s knowledge of and preference for physical activity, and examines the validity and reliability of existing techniques. Methods: A systematic search for relevant studies published from 1980 through to December 2017 was conducted via ProQuest, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, ERIC, PubMed, MEDLINE, and ScienceDirect. Results: Fourteen studies were eligible for inclusion in the review. The identified studies employed a limited but disparate range of techniques to assess children’s physical activity knowledge and preferences. Findings reveal that four techniques were consistently used across the reviewed studies, including: interviews, structured play-based activities, questionnaires, and observations. Only four out of 14 included studies reported the assessment of the validity of the data collection tool used, and six reported testing the measures for at least one type of reliability. Conclusion: There is a need for validated and reliable measures to assess children’s knowledge of and preference for physical activity. Greater consideration is required to align data collection techniques with the characteristics, needs and abilities of this study population.

The Differences in Physical Activity Preferences and Practices among High versus Low Active Adolescents in Secondary Schools

“…The main issue associated with the lack of information is the difficulty of diagnosing PA preferences, its variability, regional dependence, changing sporting achievements of national team members, changing media coverage of sports, gender and age specifics, and other influences. Another serious aspect is the insufficient theoretical background for the assessment of preferences, inclinations, favoring, wishes, motivations, or interests, as well as the variability and reliability of research methods [46,51]. Even the category preference system applied in the present study does not have adequate taxonomic support in the classification of PA types into the selected categories according to the criteria of organization, prevailing PA environment, and prevailing PA focus.…”

“…To date, there have been few studies on PA preferences available. In recent years, more attention has been paid to researching PA preferences among children [42,46], adolescents [47,48], fitness PA [33,37], tourism activity [49], and PA preferences in comparison with sedentary behavior [50]. No studies are available on the preferences of adolescents with LA.…”

Associations between preference and participation in team sports: Physical activity promotion among adolescents

“…In the concept of PA preferences, we especially respect the findings from the global record of economic preferences ( 28 ). Similarly, the reliability of preference research methods is insufficient ( 29 , 30 ). Therefore, we aimed to improve the theoretical background of research on adolescents' PA through continuous and parallel research on their preferences and participation in TS.…”