Directly Observed Physical Activity and Fundamental Motor Skills in Four-Year-Old Children in Day Care.

Physical activity (PA), its location, social interactions and fundamental motor skills (FMS) were investigated in four-year-old Finnish children in day care. Six skills in the stability, locomotor and manipulative domains were assessed in 53 children (24 boys, 29 girls, normal anthropometry) with the APM-Inventory manual for assessing children’s perceptual and FMS and Total Motor Scores (TMS; 0–6 points) calculated. PA intensity, location, group composition and activity type − sitting, squatting, kneeling − were directly observed with a modified version of the Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children – Preschool Version (OSRAC – P) during three consecutive days in 14 centres. Altogether, 13,302 PA intervals were analysed. Results: Mean TMS was 2.45 (±1.8) points. Most PA intervals were coded as sedentary. Pearson Chi-squares indicated differences in PA intensities both between indoor and outdoor locations (p < 0.001) and between solitary and non-solitary group composition (p < 0.01...