15 Dec Compendium of Physical Activities for the Early Years (aged 0–5.9 years)

Aoko Oluwayomi (Co-Chair; Nigeria), Mark Tremblay (Co-Chair, Canada), Kate Ridley (Australia), John Reilly (Scotland), Marie Lof (Sweden) and Kar-Hau Chong (Malaysia/Australia) are leading a research initiative to develop a Compendium of Physical Activities for the Early Years (aged 0-5.9 years). Their goal is to create a globally representative, open-access and scientifically sound compendium of physical activities for the early years (CPAEY) with resources to guide surveillance, policy, and practice in early childhood health and development.

Their specific goals include:

1. Establishing a working group of researchers around the world and across career stages to form the team to do the work!
2. Performing a systematic review(s) to identify relevant studies.
3. Seeking funding for the project and its sustainability.
4. Systematically identifying and classifying all physical activities commonly performed by children aged 0–5.9 years across different contexts (home, childcare, school, and community) using evidence from existing literature, direct observation, and parental/teacher reports.
5. Assigning standardized activity codes and descriptions for each identified physical activity category (e.g., sedentary, light, moderate, vigorous; structured vs. unstructured), following the format of established adult and youth compendiums.
6. Determining and validating age-specific metabolic equivalent (MET) values for each identified activity using available energy expenditure data from laboratory studies, accelerometry, and indirect calorimetry conducted in early childhood populations.
7. Comparing energy cost estimates across developmental stages (infants: 0–1 year; toddlers: 1–3 years; preschoolers: 3–5.9 years) and gender where data are available, identifying trends or differences in energy expenditure values and patterns.
8. Creating a digital and printable compendium database that organizes physical activities, their corresponding MET values, and activity codes in an accessible format for researchers, clinicians, and policymakers.
9. Developing culturally relevant extensions of the compendium incorporating traditional play, locally specific child-rearing practices, and regionally adapted activity codes (e.g., African, Asian, or Latin American contexts).
10. Validating the compendium through expert review and field testing by comparing observed energy expenditure with estimated MET values in a diverse pilot cohort of children aged 0–5.9 years.
11. Disseminating and promoting the use of the compendium globally through publications, workshops, and related professional organization’s networks.
12. Potentially establishing an international database that consolidates studies on energy expenditure – perhaps in partnership with the Sleep and Activity Database for the Early Years (SADEY).
13. Providing open-access training and data-sharing tools enabling researchers and practitioners to contribute, update, and adapt the compendium over time.

If you are interested in being involved in CPAEY, please send your meail and institutional affiliation for follow-up and confirmation of your willingness to participate in this project to Aoko Oluwayomi (yomiaoko@gmail.com).