title: School environment, sedentary behavior and physical activity in preschool children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze physical activity and sedentary behavior in preschool children during their stay at school and the associated factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  370 preschoolers, aged 4 to 6 years, stratified according to gender, age and school region in the city of Londrina, PR, participated in the study. A questionnaire was applied to principals of preschools to analyze the school infrastructure and environment. Physical activity and sedentary behavior were estimated using accelerometers for five consecutive days during the children's stay at school. The odds ratio (OR) was estimated through binary logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At school, regardless of age, preschoolers spend relatively more time in sedentary behaviors (89.6%-90.9%), followed by light (4.6%-7.6%), moderate (1.3%-3.0%) and vigorous (0.5%-2.3%) physical activity. The indoor recreation room (OR=0.20; 95%CI 0.05 to 0.83) and the playground (OR=0.08; 95%CI 0.00 to 0.80) protect four-year-old schoolchildren from highly sedentary behavior. An inverse association was found between the indoor recreation room and physical activity (OR=0.20; 95%CI 0.00 to 0.93) in five-year-old children. The indoor recreation room (OR=1.54; 95%CI 1.35 to 1.77), the playground (OR=2.82; 95%CI 1.14 to 6.96) and the recess (OR=1.54; 95%CI 1.35 to 1.77) are factors that increase the chance of six-year-old schoolchildren to be active.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The school infrastructure and environment should be seen as strategies to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior in preschool children.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Estadual do Norte do Paraná, Jacarezinho, PR, Brasil. Electronic address: sarah_crosatti@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Sara Crosatti
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.affiliation: Instituto Federal de São Paulo, Campus Boituva, Boituva, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Diogo Henrique Constantino
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Coledam
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Estadual do Norte do Paraná, Jacarezinho, PR, Brasil.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stabelini Neto
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Estadual do Norte do Paraná, Jacarezinho, PR, Brasil.
authors.forename: Rui Gonçalves Marques
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Elias
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências do Esporte, Centro de Educação Física e Esporte, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, PR, Brasil.
authors.forename: Arli Ramos de
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Oliveira
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004777:Environment; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools; D057185:Sedentary Behavior
keywords: Ambiente; Atividade motora; Child; Creche; Criança; Day care; Environment; Infraestrutura; Infrastructure; Motor activity