Objectively measured physical activity in three-year-old children : Associations with BMI, gender and parental socioeconomic status

Abstract: Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to describe levels and patterns of three-year-old children´s physical activity. Furthermore, to investigate if there were any weight status-, gender- and parental SES differences in three-year-old children’s physical activity levels, using objective and subjective measurements from Early Stockholm Obesity Prevention Project (Early STOPP). Methods Data from 93 children, three years of age, included in the Early STOPP study was used. Children wore an actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer for at least four consecutive days including one weekend day. Average activity in counts per minute (CPM), time spent in sedentary, light PA and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was assessed (5 s epoch) and used to examine differences between gender, weight status (ISOBMI according to Cole et al) and socioeconomic status (SES). For this reason an index measuring SES was created using subjective data; parental reported information on living conditions and background characteristics, from the Early STOPP study. Differences between weekdays and weekend days was also examined.    Results The result showed neither any differences in PA between gender nor weight status and no differences between SES-groups. There was a difference in PA levels between weekdays and weekend days and a difference in PA between housing types. The children spent more time being active on weekdays and children living in apartments were more active than children living in villas. Children spent approximately 67% of their time being sedentary and an average of 12,5 minutes in MVPA. Conclusion The study concludes that PA-levels in children three years of age are low. There was a difference between housings, suggesting that parents/guardians play an important role in young children’s PA. However more research is needed to fully understand the PA-behavior of young children and their parents. The absence of PA differences between genders implies that gender differences later in childhood is an effect of social structures rather than innate differences. Objectively measured PA on children at this age is rare and therefore this study contributes to the knowledge regarding young children’s PA-behavior. Furthermore there is also a need to establish agreed upon definitions for SES and of thresholds to use when examining PA with accelerometer.