OUTDOOR FOR CHILDREN IN PRE-SCHOOL

Importance of Play as an Outdoor For Children in Pre-School



Importance of Play as an Outdoor For Children in Pre-School

Introduction

Recently, the childhood obesity rate has increased considerably in the United States, and many children are becoming overweight at younger ages. Ogden et al. (2006) reported that the prevalence rate of at risk for overweight (i.e., = 85th percentile) among 2- to 5-year-old children in the United States was 26.2%, and during the past 5 years, the rate increased by 4.2%. Within the United States, some populations, such as African American, Hispanic, and low-income children, have had even higher prevalence rates for childhood weight difficulties (e.g., Haas et al., 2003; Sherry, Mei, Scanlon, Mokdad, & Grummer-Strawn, 2004). Moreover, Trost, Sirard, Dowda, Pfeiffer, and Pate (2003) noted that early incidence of being overweight might inhibit young children's physical activity, negatively affecting their future weight status. Finally, Guo, Wu, Chumlea, and Roche (2002) and Baker, Olsen, and Sorensen (2007) reported that children's early overweight problems predict adult obesity and significant health problems.

The causal nexus between obesity and severe health problems is multifaceted and any connection may be confounded by the fact that both health problems and obesity have been associated with poor diet and lack of exercise. Nevertheless, obesity has been clearly associated with multiple health difficulties, most notably, coronary heart disease, hypertension, Type II diabetes, osteoporosis, and some types of cancer (e.g., Blair & Brodney, 1999; Must et al., 1999). Many public health researchers have hypothesized that obesity is related to contemporary diets and physical inactivity (e.g., Biglan, 2004; Troiano & Flegal, 1998). Specifically, modern diets have increased caloric intake, particularly calories with saturated and trans fats and sugars, and the physical activity levels of many adults and children have become predominantly sedentary in nature (Nestle, 2002; Popkin, 2007).

Given these troubling overweight trends, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2000), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2004), and the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness and Council on School Health (2006) have declared that prevention of childhood obesity is an urgent national health priority. Indeed, public health researchers have noted that poor diet and sedentary activity are approaching cigarette smoking as one of the leading factors in preventable deaths (e.g., U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). With respect to early childhood policy, recent statements by Story, Kaphingst, and French (2006) and Krishnamoorthy, Hart, and Jelalian (2006) recommended policy and practice research to address issues related to the children's overweight problems.

Currently, we have limited information about preschool children's physical activity in community-based settings (Fulton et al., 2001; Pate, 2001), particularly direct observation data of proximal contextual conditions associated with their activity (Sirard & Pate, 2001). The existing data have been based on relatively modest samples of preschoolers (e.g., Noland, Danner, DeWalt, McFadden, & Kotchen, 1990) and have provided only global information about the social (e.g., adult prompts) and environmental circumstances (e.g., inside vs. outside) associated with children's physical activity ...