Levels of objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior in the PRIMROSE trial: Daniel Berglind

Objective

Levels of physical activity (PA) affect health already at four years of age. The aim of this study was to describe levels of PA and sedentary behavior in the PRIMROSE cluster-randomized controlled trial and to assess the number of children achieving the recommended PA guidelines.

Methods

PA data from 936 four-year old children, 380 in the intervention group and 546 in the control group, enrolled in the population based PRIMROSE trial was used. PA was measured for a period of a week by the tri-axial Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer. Total PA, time spent in light PA, moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and sedentary behavior in the intervention and control group were assessed.

Results

There were no significant differences in PA levels between the intervention and control group. Children in the intervention group spent 6.7% (SD 2.8) of the day in MVPA and 45.0% (SD 7.3) being sedentary, while children in the control group spent 6.7% (SD 2.8) of the day in MVPA and 44.9% (SD 7.3) being sedentary. The number of children achieving the recommended 60 minutes of daily after the intervention MVPA was 29.5% in the intervention group and 31.1% in the control group (P = 0.59). Boys were significantly more active and spent less time being sedentary compared to girls, both in the intervention and control group.

Conclusions

Levels of PA in four-year-old children do not differ between the intervention and control group in the PRIMROSE trial. The finding that approximately one third of four-year-old children meet the recommended PA guidelines, only, is alarming and questions the general belief that preschool children are assumed to be habitually active.