Physical activity patterns of kindergarten children in comparison to teenagers and young adults

Background: Due to the increasing occurrence of obesity and low physical activity (PA) reported in school children there is a need to investigate PA patterns of preschool children. Our aim was to identify the PA of preschool children in comparison to the PA of teenagers and young adults. Methods: PA of 104 Czech preschool children (aged 5-7 years), 1174 teenagers (aged 12-17 years) and 787 young adults (aged 18-24years) was determined using Caltrac accelerometery. PA was evaluated on the basis of activity energy expenditure (AEE kcalkg(1)day(1)). Subjects were monitored over 7 days to include a weekend. Results: The AEE in preschool children was significantly higher in comparison to all age groups of teenagers and young adults during both weekdays and at the weekend (P < 0.0001). On weekdays during leisure time, preschoolers were considerably more physically active than all categories of teenagers and young adults (P < 0.001). Preschoolers show similarities in PA level between weekdays and weekends, unlike the older age groups. Conclusion: It seems to appear that organized daily PA (2 x 20 min of exercising on carpet, 50-70min of walking outdoors) in preschool children along with enough space for spontaneous PA establishes prerequisites for their further healthy development.