Science & Sports (2014) 29S, S34—S35 Disponible en ligne sur ScienceDirect www.sciencedirect.com Plenary conference 2: Keys to successful physical acivity during childhood Conférence plénière 2 : les clés d’une activité physique réussie durant l’enfance CP-2 Plenary conference: Keys to successful physical activity during childhood A. Sääkslahti Department of Sports Science, University of Jyväskylä, Finland Introduction Based on different theories of dynamic systems, children’s development occurs through interaction between their genes, their physical and socio-emotional environment, and the amount and quality of earlier experiences. The amount of physical activity (PA) has been recognized as one very important mediator in supporting young children’s physical growth and overall devel- opment. Moreover, PA has been shown to effect children’s daily well-being and health [1]. Children are physically active through their play. When children engage in physically active play, they use their whole body with all their senses and large muscles. Through playing children learn to feel their body, recognize their body shape, its profile and its strength. They also learn how to use it and move with it. Physically active play can include behavior such as reaching, crawling, hiding, running, jumping, throwing, and kicking. Children engaging in physical activity and play are exploring themselves at the same time, thereby stimulating their growth and overall devel- opment [2]. Because of multiple needs for children’s development, it is important to recognize that the quality of PA, not only the inten- sity, matters. For example, balance skills are important to form the basis for the development of other motor skills, such like movement skills (e.g., running and jumping [3]). Movement skills increase the workload of children’s metabolic system, which can be seen in the increasing intensity of PA. Increase in metabolic workload can be found through different PA measurements. Those results are typi- cally reported by the intensity of PA, categorized as sedentary, light, moderate, or vigorous physical activity. Most PA research is based on these aspects. However, developmentally important neuromuscular loading, needed for balance skills, is hardly able to be recognized with current physical activity measurements. That’s why there is an urgent need to find appropriate measurement tools for defin- ing the appropriate amount and type of PA of young children [4]. Earlier research has revealed that much of children’s PA is mostly sedentary. Concern over the insufficient amount of developmentally appropriate PA has led to many national recommendations that seek to ensure children’s normal growth and development. To ensure normal growth and development, there is a need to determine the keys to successful strategies for increasing children’s daily physical activity levels in early childhood. In this presentation description of four Finnish intervention programs, analysis of previous systematic analysis, as well as recommendations to the practitioners will be presented. Experiences Two sets of intervention projects—the family-based STRIP and InPact and the preschool-based Early Steps and HIPPA—have tried to determine the keys of successful strategies for increasing children’s daily physical activity levels in early childhood. One effective environment for young children is their own fam- ily. Children learn their lifestyle and values from their parents. Parents decide what their children are allowed to do and when they can do it. The important role of parents can be utilized in studies using family-based strategies. The Special Turku Coronary Risk-factor Intervention Project (STRIP [5]) and the InPact interven- tion project [6] were initiatives based on social learning theories. The goal was to try to increase children’s PA through their parents. These projects provided parents with knowledge (explaining why PA is needed, what it is and how it can be implemented) and encourage- ment by introducing concrete actions and ideas (through articles, posters, radio and TV programs, Internet video clips and demonstra- tions). STRIP focused on individuals but was realized through group activities. In the InPact, the implementation was fully individual- ized. A considerable amount of children spend most of their time in childcare, so PA interventions designed for childcare seem to be needed. The Early Steps [7] intervention project focused on devel- oping child care curriculum and teachers’ in-service training. On the other hand, the ongoing Home- and childcare -based Intervention to Promote Physical Activity (HIPPA) intervention tries to commit both childcare and the family to share the educational responsibilities of children [8]. Systematic analysis Practical experiences are important. Together with systematic analysis of previous intervention studies, 0765-1597/$ – see front matter