Physical Activity and Health (Aug 2024)
The Effect of Activity Videos on Preschool Children and Preschool Employees’ Physical Activity Level During Preschool Time
Abstract
Physical activity (PA) improves the quality of life in many ways and is of major importance in the lives of children. Almost all three- to six-year-old Norwegian children are in preschool most of their waking hours, and therefore the preschool constitutes the main arena for children’s PA. This study aims to examine the effect of PA videos on children and preschool employees’ PA levels during preschool time according to moderate to vigorous activity (MVPA) and counts per minute (CPM). Six preschools were randomly selected and participated in an intervention study. Two preschools served as a control group and four served as an intervention group. The study included 110 children aged 4-6 years, and 31 preschool employees, all wearing accelerometers during preschool time for two weeks. In the first week, both the control group and the intervention group carried out their ordinary activities. In the second week, the four preschools in the intervention group used the activity videos, while the control group kept doing their ordinary activities. The results show that the activity videos significantly increased CPM at preschool time in children. However, the activity videos did not significantly increase MVPA during preschool time in children. The findings indicate that the activity videos did not offer the children a high enough intensity level to increase PA in MVPA. Furthermore, the results show that the activity videos increased both MVPA and CPM during preschool time in the preschool employees. This is the first study to examine both children and employees PA level using activity videos at preschool time as a strategy. submission progresses knowledge on this subjectOur findings indicate that the use of activity videos can be an important contribution to more PA in preschools, both in children and employees.
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