Sex differences in the variables associated with objectively measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in preschoolers

Abstract

Objective: To investigate variables associated with objectively measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in German preschool children.

Methods: Cross-sectional data was collected from 649 three to six year old children (51% boys) in 52 preschools in south Germany between autumn and spring 2008-2009. Sociodemographic, health and socio-cultural variables that could affect children's objectively measured MVPA minutes, averaged over two to four week and weekend days, were tested in bivariate and multivariate linear regression models.

Results: MVPA was significantly associated with the extrinsic variables age (-4.52 min/year of age), health status (5.62 min/category), high TV time (9.22 min/category) and high parental PA (6.59 min/category) among girls. For boys, only the intrinsic variable desire to be active (5.19 min/category) was significantly, positively associated with MVPA. The final models for girls and boys explained approximately 10% and 7% of the variance, respectively, in children's MVPA.

Conclusion: We found differences by sex in variables associated with objectively measured MVPA in preschoolers. A focus on extrinsic motivators such as parental PA for girls and intrinsic motivators for boys may be an important consideration when designing interventions and PA programs for this age group.