Correlates of Physical Activity in Latino Preschool Children Attending Head Start

Abstract

Background Physical activity is associated with long-term benefits for health and tracks from early childhood into later adolescence. Limited information exists about factors influencing physical activity among Latino preschoolers. We aimed to identify correlates of objectively measured light-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity as a proportion of wear time (% PA) in Latino 3–5 year olds. Methods Latino preschoolers (n = 96) were recruited from Head Start centers in Houston, TX, USA, from 2009 to 2010. Sociodemographics, anthropometrics, acculturation, neighborhood disorder, and TV viewing were measured. Actigraph GT1M accelerometers measured physical activity. Block linear regression was used with % PA as the dependent variable. Results Children achieved 285.7 ± 58.0 min/day of PA. In the final adjusted-model, child age, parental education and neighborhood disorder were positively associated with % PA (beta = 0.33, p = .002; beta = 0.25, p = .038; beta = 0.22, p = .039, respectively). TV viewing was inversely associated with % PA (beta=−0.23, p = .027). Conclusion The majority of Latino preschoolers in our study exceeded US national and international guidelines of physical activity duration. Future interventions to sustain physical activity should focus on the influence of age, socioeconomic status, neighborhood disorder, and TV viewing on Latino preschoolers’ attainment of physical activity.

A review of early influences on physical activity and sedentary behaviors of preschool‐age children in high‐income countries

“…Parents’ socioeconomic status (SES) and educational level are associated with preschool children's early PA behaviors (Dawson‐Hahn, Fesinmeyer, & Mendoza, ; Salmon, Owen, Crawford, Bauman, & Sallis, ). Jones, Hendricks, and Draper () found that among children aged 4–5 years old attending preschools, parents with low income reported that their children spent 93% of time indoors compared to 79% reported by parents with mid/high income.…”

“…A few studies have examined the associations between ethnicity and preschool children's PA (Dawson‐Hahn et al., ; Fitzgibbon et al., , ; O'Connor et al., ; Toselli, Zaccagni, Celenza, Albertini, & Gualdi‐Russo, ). Dawson‐Hahn et al.…”

“…Dawson‐Hahn et al. () found that the majority of Latino preschool‐aged children attending Head Start programs exceeded US national and international guidelines of PA duration. A study conducted in Italy among parents of Italian and immigrant preschool‐aged children found that PA was significantly higher in Italians than in immigrants (Toselli et al., ).…”

Hispanic Mothers’ Views of the Fathers’ Role in Promoting Healthy Behaviors at Home: Focus Group Findings

“…52 In a sample of 81 Latino preschool-aged children attending Head Start, 90.1% exceeded U.S. recommendations for daily PA of at least 120 m/day, and had more PA on the weekends than on weekdays. 53 Hispanic fathers’ possible contributions to child PA by engaging them in leisure activity (i.e., walks), sports (i.e., soccer), or household chores, as shared by mothers in the study, should be further investigated.…”

Parent’s Physical Activity Associated With Preschooler Activity in Underserved Populations

“…36 Several studies have linked parental PA to young children's PA. 21,22 However, the present study is the first to examine the association using accelerometry in a large sample of underserved, mostly Latino parent–preschool child pairs. With a mean wear time of 12 hours/day for both parents and children, the current study better describes time spent in all types of PA and sedentary behavior.…”