Preschooler activities should include more outdoor play while at daycare centers: study

Children who attend daycare may not be getting optimal physical activity through outdoor play, a new study published in the journal the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reveals. EurekAlert reports that only 3 out of 10 children are able to go outside and play for at least an hour of the full child-care day for recess, the recommended time that kids should spend pursuing physical activity and free play.

According to the Preschool Eating and Activity Study, kids at daycare who spend at least 60 minutes outdoors playing were more active over the next 24 hours than their counterparts who did not have time to go outside and play.

According to UPI, Kristen Copeland, MD, a researcher in the Division of General and Community Pediatrics and senior author of the study, explained, "We know daily physical activity is essential for children's growth and development. It improves cardiovascular and bone health and has been linked to improved mood, attention, and cognitive performance."

"Yet, few preschoolers are meeting daily physical activity recommendations of 60 minutes or more per day," she said.

Researchers led by Dr. Copeland evaluated policies of 30 randomly selected child care centers in Cincinnati and measured vigorous physical activity at the centers over the course of 24 hours among 388 children beginning November 2009 to January 2011.

According to 90 percent of the centers, they schedule two or more outdoor play periods per day, but only 40 percent of children in the study had two or more sessions outside. Moreover, 32 percent of the kids did not have outdoor time. Results showed that 83 percent of the children in the study were scheduled for at least 60 minutes outdoors, but only 28 percent of them were able to do so during observation.

"These opportunities may be especially important for children who lack opportunities to be active at home," Dr. Copeland explained. "That's why what happens in the child care centers has important and lasting effects for children's total daily levels of activity."

CBS News reported earlier this year that a similar study was conducted by Dr. Pooja Tandon, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle. He found that kids in 10 Seattle area daycare centers spent only 33 minutes for outdoor play and that 73 percent of the kids' time was spent sedentary, 13 percent on light activity, and 14 percent on moderate to vigorous physical activity.

This raises the question then on whether or not daycare centers across the country are adhering to guidelines of enabling children to pursue physical activity outdoors for at least an hour.

Dr. Tandon explained, "Children need daily opportunities for physical activity not only for optimal weight status but because physical activity promotes numerous aspects of health, development and well-being."

"Physical activity, which in this age occurs typically in the form of play, promotes cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and mental health and is associated with academic achievement."