Effects of a staff-led multicomponent physical activity intervention on preschooler's fundamental motor skills and physical fitness: The ACTNOW cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Background: Fundamental motor skills (FMS) and physical fitness (FIT) play important roles in child development and provide a foundation for lifelong participation in physical activity (PA). Unfortunately, many children have suboptimal levels of PA, FMS, and FIT. The Active Learning Norwegian Preschool(er)s (ACTNOW) study investigated the effects of a staff-led PA intervention on FMS, FIT, and PA in 3-5-year-old children.

Multivariate physical activity association patterns for fundamental motor skills and physical fitness in preschool children aged 3-5 years.

Physical activity (PA) is important for children's development of fundamental motor skills (FMS) and physical fitness (FIT) but evidence regarding which intensities are associated with these outcomes in early childhood is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the cross-sectional multivariate PA intensity signatures associated with FMS and FIT in children aged 3-5 years. We used a sample of 952 Norwegian preschoolers (4.

The influence of reliability and variability of objectively measured physical activity on associations with lower body muscle strength in young children.

It is not known how extended or multiple monitoring periods affect associations between accelerometer-measured physical activity and outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine how accelerometer monitoring length influenced cross-sectional and prospective associations for physical activity with lower body muscle strength in young children. 176 Norwegian 2-6-year-old children had 3 valid 14-day periods of accelerometer monitoring (ActiGraph GT3×+) between September 2015 and May 2016 (baseline) as well as baseline and 4-year follow-up measurements of standing long jump.

Prospective Association Patterns for the Physical Activity Intensity Spectrum With Body Mass Index and Lower Body Muscle Strength in Norwegian Children Aged 3-9 Years.

Background: Limited evidence exists regarding prospective associations for physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (SED) with body mass index (BMI) and muscle strength in young children. We aimed to determine prospective associations for PA and SED with change in BMI and standing long jump over 2 and 4 years in children aged 3-5 years at baseline.

Methods: A sample of 262 Norwegian children (50% girls) was followed from 2015 to 2017 and/or 2019.

The multivariate physical activity signatures associated with body mass index and waist-to-height ratio in 3-5-year-old Norwegian children.

The evidence regarding associations between intensity-specific physical activity and adiposity in young children is inconclusive. The aim of this study was to determine the multivariate physical activity intensity signatures associated with body mass index and waist-to-height ratio in children aged 3-5 years. A sample of 1003 Norwegian preschool children (mean age 4.

Structural validity of a test battery for assessment of fundamental movement skills in Norwegian 3-6-year-old children.

Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are building blocks of more advanced movements, including subdomains of locomotion, object control and balance skills, but limited evidence exists for this three-factor structure. The aim of this study was to examine the structural validity of a three-factor modified test battery of FMS across age and sex in two large samples of preschoolers aged 3-6 years (sample 1: n = 1213, mean age 4.8 (.

Accelerometer epoch length influence associations for physical activity intensities with body mass index and locomotor skills in young children.

The epoch length is decisive for the capture of physical activity intensities from accelerometry and possibly for associations between physical activity intensities and outcomes in children. The aim of the present study was to determine the multivariate physical activity intensity signatures related to body mass index and locomotor skills in preschool children using different epoch lengths. A sample of 1054 Norwegian children (mean age 4.

Trajectories of physical activity and sedentary time in Norwegian children aged 3-9 years: a 5-year longitudinal study.

Background: Limited evidence exists regarding the longitudinal development of physical activity during early to mid childhood. The aim of this study was to determine physical activity and sedentary time trajectories in children aged 3‒9 years from Western Norway.

Methods: A sample of 294 children (51% boys; aged 3‒5 years at baseline) from the Sogn og Fjordane Preschool Physical Activity Study was followed annually over 5 years (2015‒2019).

The role of weather conditions on time spent outdoors and in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among Norwegian preschoolers.

The aim of this study was to determine associations between weather and playground surface conditions and time spent outdoors and in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in preschool children aged 3-6 years. We included 1201 children (mean age 4.8 years, 51% boys) from 68 preschools in Norway who provided 12,030 days of observation during 2015-2016.

The multivariate physical activity signature associated with body mass index in young children.

The evidence regarding associations between intensity-specific physical activity and adiposity in young children is conflicting. Moreover, the evidence is limited by analytical approaches that cannot handle the multicollinearity among multiple variables across the entire intensity spectrum. We aimed to determine the multivariate physical activity intensity signature associated with body mass index in a large sample of preschool children aged 3-6 years.

A comparison of analytical approaches to investigate associations for accelerometry-derived physical activity spectra with health and developmental outcomes in children.

The use of high-resolution physical activity intensity spectra obtained from accelerometry can improve knowledge of associations with health and development beyond the use of traditional summary measures of intensity. The aim of the present study was to compare three different approaches for determining associations for spectrum descriptors of physical activity (the intensity gradient, principal component analysis, and multivariate pattern analysis) with relevant outcomes in children. We used two datasets including physical activity spectrum data (ActiGraph GT3X+) and 1) a cardiometabolic health outcome in 841 schoolchildren and 2) a motor skill outcome in 1081 preschool children.

Active Learning Norwegian Preschool(er)s (ACTNOW) - Design of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of Staff Professional Development to Promote Physical Activity, Motor Skills, and Cognition in Preschoolers.

Introduction: There is a dearth of high-quality evidence on effective, sustainable, and scalable interventions to increase physical activity (PA) and concomitant outcomes in preschoolers. Specifically, there is a need to better understand how the preschool context can be used to increase various types of physically active play to promote holistic child development. The implementation of such interventions requires highly competent preschool staffs, however, the competence in promoting PA is often low.

Reproducibility of objectively measured physical activity: Reconsideration needed.

Reliability of accelerometer-determined physical activity (PA), and thus the required length of a monitoring period, appears to depend on the analytic approach used for its calculation. We compared reliability of objectively measured PA using different resolution of data in a sample of 221 Norwegian 2-6-year-old children providing 2-3 valid 14-day periods of accelerometer monitoring (ActiGraph GT3X+) during September-October, January-February, and May-June 2015-2016. Reliability (intra-class correlation [ICC]) was measured for 1-14 days of monitoring across the measurement periods using linear mixed effect modelling.

Bi-directional prospective associations between objectively measured physical activity and fundamental motor skills in children: a two-year follow-up.

Background: The direction of the longitudinal relationship between physical activity (PA) and fundamental motor skills (FMS) remains unclear. We evaluated the bi-directional, prospective relationships between intensity-specific physical activity (PA) and domain-specific fundamental motor skills (FMS) over 2 years in children attending preschool at baseline.

Methods: A sample of 230 children (mean age at baseline 4.

The multivariate physical activity signature associated with fundamental motor skills in preschoolers.

Physical activity (PA) is essential for development of fundamental motor skills (FMS) in children, but it is uncertain which PA intensities are most influential. A limitation to current evidence is the reliance on analytic approaches that cannot handle collinearity. The aim of this study was to determine the PA signature related to FMS in preschoolers, by investigating the association pattern for the whole spectrum of PA intensities using multivariate pattern analysis.

Boys, older children, and highly active children benefit most from the preschool arena regarding moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: A cross-sectional study of Norwegian preschoolers.

The preschool environment exerts an important influence on children's behaviour, including physical activity (PA). However, information is lacking regarding where and when most of children's PA is undertaken. This study aimed to describe PA and sedentary time (SED) during preschool hours and time out-of-care, and on weekdays and weekend days, and to investigate differences in PA patterns according to sex, age, and MVPA levels.

Physical activity among Norwegian preschoolers varies by sex, age, and season.

Background: Knowledge of physical activity (PA) in preschool populations is important for public health promotion. We investigated levels of PA in a large sample of Norwegian preschoolers and explored variations and development in PA by sex, age, and season.

Methods: Physical activity levels of 1154 children (mean age 4.