SynthesisThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2021
A systematic review of the validity, reliability, and feasibility of measurement tools used to assess the physical activity and sedentary behaviour of pre-school aged children.
Synthesis in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 55 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
55 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 121 citations in OpenAlex.
- Lifestyle interventions and 24-hour movement behaviors in preschool children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- It is Feasible for 3 to 5-Year-Old Children to Use Smartwatch Activity Trackers: A Systematic Review.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2025Pooled it
- Challenges and facilitators to parent-child shared physical interventions during preschool and school age education: a systematic review and meta synthesis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Objective Measurement of Posture and Movement in Young Children Using Wearable Sensors and Customised Mathematical Approaches: A Systematic Review.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Pooled it
- Validity of Actigraph for Measuring Energy Expenditure in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Pooled it
- Assessment of 24-hour physical behaviour in adults via wearables: a systematic review of validation studies under laboratory conditions.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2023Pooled it
- Adherence to the World Health Organization's physical activity recommendation in preschool-aged children: a systematic review and meta-analysis of accelerometer studies.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2023Pooled it
- Accuracy and Precision of Consumer-Grade Wearable Activity Monitors for Assessing Time Spent in Sedentary Behavior in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Pooled it
- Assessment of 24-hour physical behaviour in children and adolescents via wearables: a systematic review of free-living validation studies.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Trial
- Trial
- FirstStep2Health: A cluster randomised trial to promote healthy behaviours and prevent obesity amongst low-income preschoolers.Pediatric obesity · 2024Trial
- Impact of critical illness and withholding of early parenteral nutrition in the pediatric intensive care unit on long-term physical performance of children: a 4-year follow-up of the PEPaNIC randomized controlled trial.Critical care (London, England) · 2022Trial
- Prevalence and correlates of 24-hour movement behaviors among Thai preschoolers.Journal of exercise science and fitness · 2026Article
- Early Childhood Obesity: Multifactorial Influences with a Prominent Familial ContributionJournal of clinical research in pediatric endocrinology · 2026Article
- Criterion and Convergent Validity of Youth Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Questionnaires in School Settings: A Systematic Review of Current Evidence and Future Perspectives.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties and Applicability of Agni Assessment Tools in Ayurveda: Protocol for a Systematic Review.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Commentary: Extracurricular physical activity as an early biological investment.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Linking Socio-Behavioral Health and Accelerometer Wear Time in Caregiver-Preschooler Dyads: The Moderating Role of Coping Strategies.Mental health and physical activity · 2026Article
- Validity and Wear Compliance of Wrist-Worn Consumer Activity Trackers Among Japanese School-Aged Children Under Free-Living Conditions.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) of pre-school aged children are associated with important health and developmental outcomes. Accurate measurement of these behaviours in young children is critical for research and practice in this area. The aim of this review was to examine the validity, reliability, and feasibility of measurement tools used to assess PA and SB of pre-school aged children.Searches of electronic databases, and manual searching, were conducted to identify articles that examined the measurement properties (validity, reliability or feasibility) of measurement tools used to examine PA and/or SB of pre-school aged children (3-7 years old). Following screening, data were extracted and risk of bias assessment completed on all included articles.A total of 69 articles, describing 75 individual studies were included. Studies assessed measurement tools for PA (n = 27), SB (n = 5), and both PA and SB (n = 43). Outcome measures of PA and SB differed between studies (e.g. moderate to vigorous activity, step count, posture allocation). Most studies examined the measurement properties of one measurement tool only (n = 65). Measurement tools examined included: calorimetry, direct observation, combined heart rate and accelerometry, heart rate monitors, accelerometers, pedometers, and proxy report (parent, carer or teacher reported) measures (questionnaires or diaries). Studies most frequently assessed the validity (criterion and convergent) (n = 65), face and content validity (n = 2), test-retest reliability (n = 10) and intra-instrument reliability (n = 1) of the measurement tools. Feasibility data was abstracted from 41 studies.Multiple measurement tools used to measure PA and SB in pre-school aged children showed some degree of validity, reliability and feasibility, but often for different purposes. Accelerometers, including the Actigraph (in particular GT3X versions), Actical, ActivPAL and Fitbit (Flex and Zip), and proxy reported measurement tools used in combination may be useful for a range of outcome measures, to measure intensity alongside contextual information.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.