The impact of a 20-month physical activity intervention in child care centers on motor performance and weight in overweight and healthy-weight preschool children

Abstract

A child-centered physical activity intervention was administered in child care centers over 20 months to promote motor performance and reduce weight in preschool children. The intervention group (N = 211) received at least one weekly 45-min. session of physical education and sessions of physical activities of at least 20 minutes on the other days. Control children (N = 217) experienced the regular curriculum, which consisted of one session of physical activities of 45 min. per week. At the end of the study, children in the intervention group surpassed children in the control group in motor performance (body coordination, physical fitness, and dexterity, measured by a motor test battery MoTB 3-7). Children in the top 20% by BMI at the beginning of the study ("high weight") had inferior motor performance. Children with higher BMIs in the intervention group had better motor scores than children with higher BMIs in the control group, but the intervention had no effect on body weight, BMI, or skinfold thickness.