title: Physical activity in preschool children: comparison between Montessori and traditional preschools.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the influence of Montessori methods on children's physical activity (PA). This cross-sectional study compared PA of children attending Montessori and traditional preschools.
  
  
  METHODS
  We enrolled 301 children in 9 Montessori and 8 traditional preschools in Columbia, South Carolina. PA was measured by accelerometry on weekdays during preschool (In-School), non-school (Non-School), and all day (All Day). Minutes/hour of light, moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA), and total PA (light + MVPA) were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children attending Montessori preschools accumulated more In-School light (7.7 vs. 6.5 minute/hour), MVPA (7.7 versus 6.5 minute/hour), and total PA (15.4 versus 13.0 minute/hour) than children attending traditional preschools, after adjusting for sex, race/ethnicity, body mass index, parent education and neighborhood poverty index. For Non-School (8.5 versus 6.2 minute/hour) and All Day (8.5 versus 7.6 minute/hour), children in Montessori preschools accumulated more MVPA than children in traditional preschools. In-School PA was higher for children in private Montessori than public Montessori preschools (8.1 versus 7.0 minute/hour; 8.1 versus 6.7 minute/hour; 16.1 versus 13.6 minute/hour, for light, MVPA, and total PA, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children attending Montessori preschools were more active than children attending traditional preschools. Adopting the Montessori system may be an important strategy for promoting PA in children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly St., Columbia, SC 29208. rpate@mailbox.sc.edu.
authors.forename: Russell R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Pate
authors.forename: Jennifer R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.forename: Wonwoo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Byun
authors.forename: Kerry L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: McIver
authors.forename: Marsha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dowda
authors.forename: William H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D061725:Accelerometry; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D010290:Parents; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013022:South Carolina; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Montessori; accelerometer; light physical activity; preschool