Physical activity interventions were consistently ( > 60 % of studies ) associated with improved motor and cognitive development , and psychosocial and cardiometabolic health .
Across observational studies , physical activity was consistently associated with favourable motor development , fitness , and bone and skeletal health .
For intensity , light- and moderate-intensity physical activity were not consistently associated with any health indicators , whereas moderate- to vigorous-intensity , vigorous-intensity , and total physical activity were consistently favourably associated with multiple health indicators .
Across study design s , consistent favourable associations with health indicators were observed for a variety of types of physical activity , including active play , aerobic , dance , prone position ( infants ; ≤1 year ) , and structured/organized .
Apart from ≥30 min/day of the prone position for infants , the most favourable frequency and duration of physical activity was unclear .
However , more physical activity appeared better for health .
Conclusions Specific types of physical activity , total physical activity , and physical activity of at least moderate- to vigorous-intensity were consistently favourably associated with multiple health indicators .
Background Given the rapid development during the early years ( 0 - 4 years ) , an underst and ing of the health implication s of physical activity is needed .
The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the relationships between objective ly and subjectively measured physical activity and health indicators in the early years .
GRADE guidelines: 4. Rating the quality of evidence--study limitations (risk of bias).
In the GRADE approach , r and omized trials start as high- quality evidence and observational studies as low- quality evidence , but both can be rated down if most of the relevant evidence comes from studies that suffer from a high risk of bias . Well-established limitations of r and omized trials include failure to conceal allocation , failure to blind , loss to follow-up , and failure to appropriately consider the intention-to-treat principle . More recently recognized limitations include stopping early for apparent benefit and selective reporting of outcomes according to the results . Key limitations of observational studies include use of inappropriate controls and failure to adequately adjust for prognostic imbalance . Risk of bias may vary across outcomes ( e.g. , loss to follow-up may be far less for all-cause mortality than for quality of life ) , a consideration that many systematic review s ignore . In deciding whether to rate down for risk of bias -- whether for r and omized trials or observational studies -- authors should not take an approach that averages across studies . Rather , for any individual outcome , when there are some studies with a high risk , and some with a low risk of bias , they should consider including only the studies with a lower risk of bias
Physical activity interventions were consistently ( > 60 % of studies ) associated with improved motor and cognitive development , and psychosocial and cardiometabolic health .
Across observational studies , physical activity was consistently associated with favourable motor development , fitness , and bone and skeletal health .
For intensity , light- and moderate-intensity physical activity were not consistently associated with any health indicators , whereas moderate- to vigorous-intensity , vigorous-intensity , and total physical activity were consistently favourably associated with multiple health indicators .
Across study design s , consistent favourable associations with health indicators were observed for a variety of types of physical activity , including active play , aerobic , dance , prone position ( infants ; ≤1 year ) , and structured/organized .
Apart from ≥30 min/day of the prone position for infants , the most favourable frequency and duration of physical activity was unclear .
However , more physical activity appeared better for health .
Conclusions Specific types of physical activity , total physical activity , and physical activity of at least moderate- to vigorous-intensity were consistently favourably associated with multiple health indicators .
Background Given the rapid development during the early years ( 0 - 4 years ) , an underst and ing of the health implication s of physical activity is needed .
The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the relationships between objective ly and subjectively measured physical activity and health indicators in the early years .