Physical activity level of kindergarten staff working with toddlers and older children in Norway.
Karin Kippe, Pål Lagestad
PMID 32417829WHAT IT FOUND
Most kindergarten staff met daily physical activity guidelines.
Staff working with older children moved more overall and during leisure time. Staff working with toddlers moved more during work hours but were less active outside of work, relying on their job to meet guidelines.
Key findings
0186% of the kindergarten staff met the national health recommendation for daily physical activity.
02Staff working with older children had significantly higher daily physical activity counts and moderate-to-vigorous activity time than staff working with toddlers.
03There was no significant difference in physical activity levels during working hours between staff working with older children and those working with toddlers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (43 participants) and from a single municipality, limiting generalizability. The study design is observational, so it cannot prove that working with older children causes higher activity levels; it may be that more active people choose to work with older children. The groups were unequal in size (26 staff with toddlers vs 15 with older children), though this reflected the natural distribution in kindergartens. Only three valid days of accelerometer data were required for inclusion, which may not capture typical weekly activity patterns.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that working with toddlers leads to lower physical activity during work hours. The study found no significant difference in activity during work between the two groups; the lower total daily activity in the toddler group was due to less activity during their leisure time.