This study used spatiotemporal hot-spot analysis to characterize physical activity on the childcare center playground. Preschool-aged children (N = 34) wore a GPS and accelerometer during 2-3 outdoor periods on one day. A spatiotemporal weights matrix was generated so that points within a specified distance in meters (space) and 3 min (time) were considered neighbors. The Getis-Ord G* statistic was calculated to detect locations of significant hot/cold spots in vector magnitude counts/15‑sec. Hot/cold spots changed within a single outdoor period and between outdoor periods, highlighting the importance of time. This approach can be used to identify points of intervention during provided outdoor time.
Keywords: Accelerometer; GPS; Hot spot; Recess.
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