Effect of an active breaks program on motor behavior in preschool students. A pilot study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55040/qh3ps627Keywords:
active breaks, steps, early childhood education, physical activity, healthy habitsAbstract
Early childhood education plays a fundamental role in the acquisition of healthy lifestyle habits and the comprehensive development of students. Scientific evidence shows a deficit in the amount of daily physical activity that young children need in terms of health. The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of a programme based on active breaks on motor behaviour in Early Childhood Education students. A single-group quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test measurements was designed, in which the number of steps and distance travelled by students before and after an intervention based on active breaks in the regular classroom was evaluated. 9 students (four boys and five girls) from a multi-level classroom in the second cycle of early childhood education, aged between 3 and 5 years (M = 3.67; SD = 0.866), participated in the study. The Onwalk One Plus pedometer (3D accelerometer) was used as the instrument. The intervention was carried out over three weeks (first week of control and two weeks of intervention based on active breaks). The results showed increases of 282.54% and 231.53% in boys and girls respectively in the number of steps taken in the ordinary classroom (increases of 3,305.84 steps/day in boys and 2,215.5 in girls), which represents between 30-40% of the daily amount recommended by studies for these ages. It is recommended that active breaks be implemented in the regular classroom to make daily routines in early childhood education more physically active.
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