Analysis of physical activity in preschool children from Piła. Part 1. Ordinary and additional physical activity and favourite ways of spending leisure time**

*Wojciech Chalcarz, Sylwia Merkiel

Summary
Aim. The aim of this study was to analyse ordinary and additional physical activity in preschool children from Piła and to investigate their favourite ways of spending leisure time.
Material and methods. Parents of 165 preschoolers from Piła filled in questionnaires on general information about their children and their families, the children’s ordinary and additional physical activity, and their favourite ways of spending leisure time. Statistical analysis was performed by the IBM SPSS Statistics 21 computer programme. The studied population was divided according to gender.
Results. Gender had statistically significant influence on parents’ answers to the questions about familial osteoporosis and about their opinion on their children’s body weight, as well as the percentages of children who preferred playing with a ball and rollerblading/roller skating during sunny weather and drawing/painting, playing with building blocks, playing computer games, playing with dolls and playing with toy cars during rainy weather.
Conclusions. In comparison to the previously studied preschool children from other regions of Poland, the studied preschoolers from Piła were characterised by reduced ordinary and additional physical activity. To reverse these unfavourable changes, it is necessary to educate preschoolers’ parents, preschool staff and local authorities about the possibilities of increasing the children’s physical activity and reducing their time spent in a passive way. Children, irrespective of gender, should be encouraged to various kinds of physical activity.

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