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Physical Activity in Preschool Children: Comparison Between Montessori and Traditional Preschools
Author(s) -
Pate Russell R.,
O'Neill Jennifer R.,
Byun Wonwoo,
McIver Kerry L.,
Dowda Marsha,
Brown William H.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/josh.12207
Subject(s) - montessori method , preschool education , psychology , developmental psychology , environmental health , medicine , early childhood education
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.