Effects of Physical Activity on Physical Growth of Preschool Children

  Objective  By analyzing the correlation between physical activity level and body growth index of preschool children, the paper explored the effects of physical activity on physical growth of preschool children.

  Methods  Two hundred twenty-four preschool children were recruited to participate in the current study.Daily physical activity level was measured with ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers.WHO Anthro and AnthroPlus Software were used to calculate the height-for-age (HAZ), weight-for-age (WAZ), and BMI-for-age (BAZ) scores.Multiple linear regression models were used to examine the correlation between the levels of physical activity and the growth index.

  Results  Moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was significantly related to weight (β=0.173, P=0.029) and WAZ-scores (β=0.217, P=0.015) among boys, and MVPA was considerably associated to height (β=0.208, P=0.011) and HAZ-scores (β=0.262, P=0.008) among girls.In addition, significant correlation between total physical activity level and HAZ-scores (β=0.195, P=0.0498) was observed among girls.

  Conclusion  Physical activity, especially MVPA, was significantly associated with physical growth of preschool children.Promoting MVPA for preschool children should be emphasized among parents and kindergartens.