During early childhood, the preschool years serve as a formative time for the development of movement skills and healthy, active behaviors. Currently, one fifth of children in this population are overweight or obese and only half of the children participate in sufficient activity to meet recommendations. Physical activity guidelines for preschool children include both structured and unstructured activities of various intensities, limitations on sedentary behaviors, fundamental motor skill competence, and the inclusion of caregivers to facilitate activity. The majority of US children are enrolled in preschool programs, so this environment has the potential to significantly influence young children’s activity levels. Factors that have been associated with physical activity levels within the preschool setting include the influence of caregivers, the preschool environment, outdoor play, and motor skill development and competence. This review evaluated 16 publications in order to examine whether these factors had a significant impact on physical activity in the preschool setting. The findings from this review suggest the use of a multicomponent model, including the factors evaluated, may be the optimal strategy to increase activity levels in preschool children. Policy related to these factors should be created and implemented in order to facilitate optimal physical activity environments for preschool children.

(1) Background: The developmental model describes possible mechanisms that could impact the trajectory of children and adolescents’ health behaviors related to obesity; however, few data are available that support this model in the adolescent population. This study investigated the associations among motor competence (MC), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), perceived motor competence (PMC), and aerobic fitness in children and adolescents and the mediating and moderating effects of PMC, aerobic fitness, and weight status on the MC–MVPA relationship. (2) Methods: Participants included 47 adolescents (12.2 ± 1.6 y; 55% male) who completed the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd Edition (MC), Harter’s perceived self-competency questionnaire (PMC), and the PACER test (aerobic fitness) and whose MVPA was measured via accelerometry. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated from measured height and weight. (3) Results: There were positive correlations between MC and fitness [r_s(47) = 0.469, p < 0.01], PMC and fitness [r_s(47) = 0.682, p < 0.01], and PMC and MC [r_s(47) = 0.416, p < 0.01]. There were no associations among MVPA and MC, PMC, or fitness (p > 0.05). There were inverse associations between BMI and both MVPA [r_s(44) = −0.410, p < 0.01] and fitness [r_s(47) = 0.295, p < 0.05]. The association between MC and MVPA was mediated by fitness (β = 0.3984; 95% CI (0.0564–0.7985)). (4) Conclusions: The associations among MC, PMC, and fitness highlight the critical role of MC in health and partially support the proposed developmental model concerning the relationships that exist among MC, MVPA, PMC, fitness, and BMI.

Previous research showed a positive relationship between physical activity and self-regulation in older children and adolescents, but few publications focused on young children. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to examine the impact of physical activity (PA) on the cognitive aspects of self-regulation (inhibition, attention, and working memory, in preschool-aged (3–6 years old) children. The following databases were searched for articles: PubMed, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, and ERIC. References of the reviewed papers were screened for the identification of additional articles to be included in the review. Randomized control trials were reviewed to assess the impact of PA interventions on the cognitive aspects of self-regulation. There were six articles included in this review. Each study assessed at least one cognitive aspect of self-regulation [attention (n = 4), working memory (n = 2), and inhibition (n = 5)]. Attention was the only aspect that consistently showed improvement as a result of the PA interventions (4 of 4 studies). Only one study showed a positive impact on working memory and 60% of studies (3 of 5 studies) reported a positive relationship between PA and inhibition. Overall, the findings from this review showed that a consistent relationship only existed between attention and PA. No clear relationships were evident between working memory and inhibition and PA.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of running with a jogging stroller (JS) on oxygen consumption (VO₂), heart rate (HR), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). This study included 2 parts: Part 1 involved participants (N=15) running on an indoor track and Part 2 involved participants (N=12) running on a paved greenway. All participants completed 6, one-mile trials randomized over 2 visits: 3 were completed at a predetermined pace (160.8 m·min^− 1) without a JS (NoJS), with 11.36 kg in the JS (JS1), and 22.72 kg in the JS (JS2) and 3 were self-paced and included NoJS, JS1, and JS2. VO₂ and HR were measured using a portable metabolic system and telemetry. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to determine differences among conditions. Part 1, there were no differences in VO₂ across conditions, but HR and RPE were significantly higher (P<0.05) during the JS trials compared to the NoJS trials. Part 2, VO₂ and RPE during JS trials were higher than NoJS trials (P<0.05). No significant differences were found in HR. The results indicate that it is feasible to run while pushing a JS with minimal increases in exertion compared to running without a JS.