URTI Symptoms Increased With Low Physical Activity in Preschoolers

FRIDAY, Feb. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- For preschoolers, physical activity (PA) is associated with fewer days of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) symptoms, according to a study published online Jan. 24 in Pediatric Research.

Katarzyna Ostrzyżek-Przeździecka, from the Medical University of Warsaw in Poland, and colleagues monitored URTI symptoms using the Polish version of the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory System Survey for Kids in 104 children aged 4 to 7 years. A Garmin-vivofit wristband pedometer was used to measure daily number of steps, PA intensity, and sleep duration.

The researchers found that the total number of days with URTI symptoms was significantly determined by the average daily step count from healthy days, accounting for 44 percent of the variance in this variable. An increased risk for URTI was seen for a low level of baseline PA, during the initial 14-day run-in observation period. The severity of URTI symptoms was dependent on the number of daily steps in the nonsport group of children. Sleep duration was not significantly associated with the number of URTI days.

"Parents of pre-school children should encourage [them] to engage in PA every day, creating opportunities and possibilities for PA involving entire families, especially if their children do not regularly participate in sports activities," the authors write.

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