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Consequently, an equation based on these cut points in preschoolers was created 16.įurthermore, physical activity levels have been assessed in different ways. Accordingly, accelerometers are considered to be the gold standard for free-living physical activity assessment 14.Ī meta-analysis of several studies reporting accelerometry-derived daily physical activity levels of preschool-age children concluded that is necessary to develop physical activity guidelines for this range of age due to the confusion between several different cut-off points applied in the literature 15. In this field, accelerometry has been shown to be the most reliable method to record the quantity and level of physical activity that each subject performs in each period 13. For example, physical activity questionnaires obtain a subjective estimation of physical activity. Though several tools exist to estimate physical activity approximately, these tools are not so effective at providing a more accurate determination, whether daily or over a certain period 12. Over the past decade, a large body of empirical studies has described the correlates and determinants of physical activity in preschoolers 8, 9, 10, 11.

Thus, it is crucial to promote preventive interventions in early childhood to impact on lifestyle and prevent the development of overweight and obesity 7.

Consequently, obesity is related to decreasing quality of life 4 and to increased healthcare costs due to associated comorbidities, equivalent to 7% of the gross domestic product in developed countries 5.ĭuring childhood and adolescence, environmental factors are the main causes of obesity, due to the energy imbalance caused by a high-energy intake 6 and/or a low level of physical activity 7.

This great increase in the incidence of overweight and obesity at early ages results in a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome 3. Furthermore, obesity was more prevalent in children aged 4-5 years (18.3%) and overweight was more prevalent in children aged 8-9 years (25.5%) 2. The global prevalence of overweight and obesity in preschool-age children has increased dramatically since 1990, from approximately 4% in 1990 to 7% in 2010 1.