Preliminary Evaluation of an Observation System for Recording Physical Activity in Children

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Evidence suggests that physical inactivity is prevalent among young children. To combat this, one recommendation for caregivers is to become actively involved in their child's physical activities. However, this general recommendation does not specify how or when a parent should become involved. The purpose of the current study was to conduct a functional analysis to identify a social consequence that would increase the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) exhibited by preschool-aged children, and then to compare the effects of that social consequence when it was provided contingent on MVPA and when provided independent of MVPA. The results of the functional analyses indicated that 3 of 7 children were most active when attention or interactive play was provided contingent on MVPA. Results of the intervention analysis suggested that caregivers of young children should provide attention or interactive play contingent on MVPA when those consequences are identified as reinforcers in a functional analysis.

Section: General Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adult attention and interaction can increase moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity in young children

Zerger¹,

Normand²,

Boga³

et al. 2016

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“…Because research suggests that the activity codes specified by the Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children (OSRAC; McIver, Brown, Pfeiffer, Dowda, & Pate, ) are valid measures of physical activity in young children (Larson, Normand, & Hustyi, ), we used these codes to score the activity level of participants during the baseline observations and all experimental conditions (see Table ). However, the discontinuous measurement strategy (i.e., 5 s of observation followed by 25 s of recording) reported by McIver et al () was not used.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Further evaluation of a functional analysis of moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity in young children

Larson¹,

Normand²,

Morley³

et al. 2014

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Inadequate physical activity increases the risks related to several health problems in children; however, increasing physical activity mitigates these risks. In this study, we examined the relations between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and several environmental conditions (attention, interactive play, alone, escape) with 4 preschool children. We compared the experimental conditions to a control condition and a naturalistic baseline according to a combined multielement and reversal design. Results indicated that all participants were most active in the interactive play condition and that the percentage of MVPA varied across experimental and control conditions. In addition, the frequency and duration of bouts of MVPA were greatest in the interactive play condition. The current study presents a methodology for the identification of environmental contingencies that support increased levels of MVPA in young children, and it holds promise for improving our understanding of the variables related to physical activity.

“…In the studies noted above, physical activity was measured using either strictly observational measures (i.e., the OSRAC) or mechanical measures (i.e., pedometers, accelerometers). In some cases, children may produce similar step counts, but idiosyncratic HRs (Larson et al ; Van Camp & Berth, ). Steps as a primary measure of PA may also be problematic when children engage in behaviors that do not involve translocation (Van Camp & Berth, ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Using heart rate as a physical activity metric

Eckard

Kuwabara

Camp

2019

Physical activity (PA) is critical for a healthy lifestyle. The current study assessed heart rate (HR) as a primary measure of moderate and vigorous PA with four typically developing children. First, individualized HR assessments were conducted to determine moderate and vigorous HR zones. Next, participants engaged in various exercises at a local YMCA facility (i.e., biking, elliptical, basketball, and exergame boxing) to determine how HR during these activities aligned with their individualized HR zones. During exercise bouts, HR was typically above moderate, but below vigorous HR zones for all participants. Additionally, exercises that restricted range of motion (i.e., biking and elliptical) engendered generally lower HR than exercises with greater range of motion. Vocal instructions to exercise at vigorous levels were effective at increasing HR to vigorous levels for one participant. The advantages of using HR as a metric of PA during assessment and intervention are discussed.