How do 4–6 years-old children spend their time in preschool?

Aim: To objectively measure the time spent in different physical behaviors through ActivPAL measurement in the Portuguese preschool setting for the first time. Subject and method: This cross-sectional investigation included children (4–6 years-old) from a preschool of the Municipality of Lisbon. The...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Journal of Public Health: From Theory to Practice (2198-1833) Vol. 34; no. 9; pp. 2169 - 2177
Autores principales: Júdice, Pedro B., Teno, Sabrina C.
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Springer Nature Sep2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=196448398&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 196448398
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        21981833
        NENI
      jtl: Journal of Public Health: From Theory to Practice (2198-1833)
      issn: 21981833
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Sep2026
      vid: 34
      iid: 9
      pid: 237
      pub: Springer Nature
    artinfo:
      ui:
        196448398
        10.1007/s10389-025-02431-2
      ppf: 2169
      ppct: 8
      formats:
      tig:
        atl: How do 4–6 years-old children spend their time in preschool?
      aug:
        au:
          Júdice, Pedro B.
          Teno, Sabrina C.
        affil:
          https://ror.org/05xxfer42 Centro de Investigação Em Educação Física, Desporto, Exercício e Saúde (CIDEFES), Universidade Lusófona, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024, Lisbon, Portugal
          https://ror.org/043pwc612 Centro de Investigação Formação Inovação E Intervenção Em Desporto (CIFI2D), Universidade Do Porto, R. Dr. Plácido da Costa, N.º 91, 4200-450, Porto, Portugal
      su:
        Portugal
        Cross-sectional method
        Self-evaluation
        Children's health
        Elementary schools
        Psychology of school children
        Parent attitudes
        Age distribution
        Student health
        Sociodemographic factors
        Anthropometry
        Pearson correlation (Statistics)
        Body mass index
        T-test (Statistics)
        Research funding
        Standing position
        Statistical sampling
        Sitting position
        Data analysis software
        Time
        Physical activity
      sug:
        subj:
          Cross-sectional method
          Self-evaluation
          Children's health
          Elementary schools
          Psychology of school children
          Parent attitudes
          Age distribution
          Student health
          Sociodemographic factors
          Anthropometry
          Portugal
          Elementary and Secondary Schools
          Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling
          Pearson correlation (Statistics)
          Body mass index
          T-test (Statistics)
          Research funding
          Standing position
          Statistical sampling
          Sitting position
          Data analysis software
          Time
          Physical activity
      keyword:
        ActivPAL
        Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services
        School
        Sitting time
        Standing time
        Steps
        Transitions
        ActivPAL
        Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services
        School
        Sitting time
        Standing time
        Steps
        Transitions
      ab: Aim: To objectively measure the time spent in different physical behaviors through ActivPAL measurement in the Portuguese preschool setting for the first time. Subject and method: This cross-sectional investigation included children (4–6 years-old) from a preschool of the Municipality of Lisbon. The study obtained ethical approval (number JL2224), and informed consent from parents/child subjects was provided. Data was collected using the ActivPAL inclinometer/accelerometer (model ActivPAL4; PAL Technologies Ltd., Glasgow, UK), while using the GHLA (v2.2) classification algorithm on an entire day at preschool. Differences between groups were examined using independent sample t-tests. Results: More than 180 h of data were collected throughout 4 typical days in 28 preschoolers (39% girls and 61% boys) from 3 different classes. No differences were found between classes or sex for any of the variables (p > 0.05). Our findings show that while at school preschoolers spent 39.2% sitting, 29.9% standing, and 26.1% moving around, while performing 65 sit-to-stand transitions/preschool day. Conclusion: In comparison to previous investigations, Portuguese preschoolers were less sedentary. The fact that this school had a significant outdoor space can explain the lower sedentariness, or it can be, that Portuguese preschoolers are in fact less sedentary. More studies using larger samples are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N