Super Quinas in Preschool: A Quasi-Experimental Controlled Study of the Effects of a Structured School-Based Physical Activity Programme on 24-Hour Movement Behaviours, Motor Competence, Physical Fitness, Cognitive and Socioemotional Outcomes in Preschool Aged Children - A Study Protocol

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep operate as a constrained, interdependent 24-hour composition: time reallocated to one behaviour necessarily displaces another. This integrated perspective underpins the WHO 24-hour movement guidelines for children under 5 years, which recommend at least 180 minutes per day of total physical activity (including at least 60 minutes of MVPA), limited sedentary screen time, and adequate sleep duration (WHO, 2019). Despite clear guidance, adherence is critically low. A large-scale systematic review across 23 countries found that only a small proportion of young children meet all three components simultaneously (Tapia-Serrano et al., 2022). In Portugal, accelerometer-based evidence from the PRESTYLE study showed that only 4.5% of preschool children met the combined 24-hour recommendations, with particularly low compliance for physical activity and screen-time thresholds (Vale & Mota, 2020). Movement behaviour patterns formed in the preschool period show tracking into later childhood, with potential cumulative effects on health and learning trajectories.

From a developmental standpoint, early childhood is a sensitive period for the maturation of motor competence, executive functions, and socioemotional self-regulation. Motor competence is not only an outcome in its own right but a plausible mechanism linking physical activity exposure to broader developmental gains (Logan et al., 2015). Emerging evidence from compositional data analysis supports the premise that reallocating time away from sedentary behaviour towards physical activity and sleep is associated with more favourable cognitive and behavioural outcomes in preschool-aged children (Li et al., 2024; Xu et al., 2025). The SuperQuinas programme has demonstrated beneficial effects on motor competence and physical activity in primary school populations in Portugal (Costa et al., 2024; Rodrigues et al., 2025); however, its effectiveness in preschool-aged children has not yet been examined.

STUDY DESIGN

The study adopts a school-based, quasi-experimental, parallel-group, class-clustered controlled design. It is conducted at a single public preschool in Maia, northern Portugal (Gandra Basic School, Águas Santas School Cluster). Four intact preschool classes of approximately 20 children each (total N approximately 80) are allocated at the class level, with two classes assigned to the intervention condition and two to the control condition. Non-random class-level allocation was adopted due to organisational and pedagogical constraints inherent to the school context. All four classes receive an identical weekly dose of curricular Physical Education delivered by a qualified PE teacher. Baseline equivalence between conditions is formally assessed for all demographic and outcome variables, and observed imbalances are addressed through covariate adjustment in the primary analyses.