Preschool children’s physical activity in the home, childcare and neighbourhood environment: A latent profile analysis using device-based measures

Based on the socioecological conceptual model, the physical environment within the home, childcare and neighbourhood domains are key factors that influence preschool children’s physical activity; however, the relative importance of each of these domains for preschool children’s physical activity is unclear.

We explored the physical environment characteristics within three latent profiles of 115 preschool children aged 2–5 years based on where they accumulated moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) across five GPS-derived environmental domains. The three profiles were “Active at home” (n = 41), “Active except close to home” (n = 61), and “Active except in local neighbourhood” (n = 13). Compared to other profiles, “Active at home” had fewer parks and playgrounds within their 500–1600 m neighbourhood. Findings suggest preschool children’s MVPA profiles are reflections of their physical environmental opportunities.