Research from the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University has shown children who spend more than one hour per day on screens are at risk of obesity, poor cognitive development and future cardiovascular risks. Senior Research Fellow and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellow, Dr Trina Hinkley, discusses the recommendations and solutions for healthy development in children from birth though to five years of age.
Evidence clearly shows that physical activity is beneficial, and screen time detrimental, to young children’s health and development. The amount of activity and screen time they experience has a direct impact on their weight, movement skills, wellbeing and cognitive functioning.
Many of us labour under the assumption that young children are naturally physically active and can’t sit still long enough to engage in any amount of screen time that might be detrimental. With around half of Australian preschoolers failing to meet the national physical activity recommendation, and about three quarters failing to meet the screen time recommendation, this assumption clearly needs updating.
The Australian recommendations are that:
• preschoolers should be physically active every day for at least three hours, spread throughout the day, and
• for children between the ages of two to five, sitting and watching television and the use of other electronic media (DVDs, computers, tablets and other electronic games) should be limited to less than one hour per day.
Young children’s physical activity is intermittent and sporadic in nature. This means that they have short bursts of higher intensity activity followed by a less intense recovery period. This makes it quite difficult to determine exactly how much physical activity they are getting. For early childhood settings, a good rule of thumb is to ensure children are outside for at least 15 minutes of every hour they are at the centre. Research consistently shows that children are more active when they are outside compared to when they are inside, so time outdoors is a great start.
Early childhood education settings are an ideal location for children to increase their physical activity and decrease their screen time. A number of studies internationally have trialled different strategies to support these changes.
Many show promise in supporting healthy behaviours in our children. Here are a number of suggested activities to include in your everyday program that have been shown to be effective:
cut one large outdoor play session into two or three smaller ones, allowing for more frequent active opportunities throughout the day have active breaks while indoors – if children are inside for more than 30 minutes at a time, break up indoor time with one to two minutes of activity at the children’s locations such as pretending to wade through a bowl of jelly or a quick iteration of an active song like the Hokey Pokey remove all screens from the setting, ensuring any that cannot be removed are turned off If screens must be used, aim for quality, slow paced educational programming for as little time as possible put portable outdoor equipment, such as climbing frames, as far apart as possible. Research shows that children are more active when they have to run between pieces of equipment include structured skills development sessions to cover fundamental movement skills such as running, catching and kicking. Children who have better skills are usually more active as well make an obstacle course out of outdoor equipment, and girls are typically less active than boys, so be sure to include activities that girls might enjoy – adding a coloured scarf to a running activity might make a world of difference.There are lots of ways to help our children lead more active lives and minimise the amount of screen time they have. Early childhood teachers play a really important role in helping to shape healthy lifestyle behaviours during a crucial developmental period. This can be done by instilling healthy habits in children during their time in early childhood centres and by informing and supporting parents about the necessity and benefits of children being active and minimising their screen time.
For more information, visit http://www.deakin.edu.au/research/ipan/our-research or contact Dr Trina Hinkley at trina.hinkley@deakin.edu.au
References
Leblanc AG, et al., Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 2012. 37(4): 753-72
Timmons BW, et al., Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 2012. 37(4): 773-92
Department of Health. 2014 [cited 2014 7 February]. Available from: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/phd-physical-activity-0-5-pdf-cnt.htm
Institute of Medicine. 2012, Washington, DC: Institute of Medicine
Hinkley T, et al., Am J Prev Med, 2008. 34(5): 435–441
Ward DS, et al., Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2010. 42(3): 526-534.
