Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Research in Psychology
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Early Childhood Development: Does Physical Activity Influence Developmental Milestones in Toddlers?
Bee Koon Poh, Chiu Yee Tan, Denise Koh
ABSTRACT:
Physical activity (PA) promotes child growth and development, and have positive impact on physical, mental, and psychosocial health of the child. However, current literature lacks evidence on the impact of PA on early childhood growth and development, especially studies utilizing objectively measured PA. This cross-sectional study aims to explore the relationship between PA and early developmental milestones among children aged 1 to 3 years. Participants comprised 38 toddlers recruited from childcare centres around Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Parent-reported Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3) was used to evaluate developmental stages for five domains (communication, gross and fine motor, problem solving and personal-social skills). PA was measured via Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers, worn on the waist for 5 consecutive days. Children with at least one 24-hour day of data were included in this study. On average, toddlers engaged in 8.15 hours of sedentary activities; 1.65 hours of light PA (LPA); and 1.07 hours of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Only 32% of toddlers achieved WHO guideline of 180 minutes of daily PA. Total PA (LPA and MVPA combined) was positively correlated with communication skills (r=0.32, p<0.05) and fine motor skills (r=0.33, p<0.05), but not with gross motor, problem solving and personal-social skills. In conclusion, the findings from this study indicate a positive relationship between PA participation and specific domains of childhood development. Future studies should include a larger, more representative sample of toddlers to better understand the relationship between PA and early childhood development among Malaysian children.
keywords: accelerometry; Ages and Stages Questionnaire; developmental skills; toddlers; WHO; physical activity guidelines