None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Changing the scheduling of existing programs in childcare centres may represent an effective strategy which is suitable to ‘scale-up’ for population-wide implementation. Unstructured outdoor free play (as opposed to structured, staff-guided play) has been consistently associated with greater child physical activity. The study hypothesises that when compared to children attending control services, where continuous indoor/outdoor play is scheduled, children attending intervention services will spend an additional 10 minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day at childcare. An increase of 10 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in preschool-aged children has been found to have clinically important effects on fat mass and peak bone mass.
Interventions
Specifically, within a six hour day (9am-3pm) the intervention will involve services implementing continuous free indoor/outdoor play for children. The only time when an opportunity for outdoor free play will be unavailable for children is when structured activity is occurring. At all other times, children will be free to move between indoors and outdoors as they wish. All other service activities will remain unchanged. The duration of the intervention period will be approximately 3 months.
Serv
Specifically, within a six hour day (9am-3pm) the intervention will involve services implementing continuous free indoor/outdoor play for children. The only time when an opportunity for outdoor free play will be unavailable for children is when structured activity is occurring. At all other times, children will be free to move between indoors and outdoors as they wish. All other service activities will remain unchanged. The duration of the intervention period will be approximately 3 months. Services will be supported by a childhood physical activity consultant with experience working with childcare services to implement the intervention. Support will be provided via service visits and telephone calls. Adherence will be monitored by the external consultant who will ensure the intervention is delivered as per protocol (unless inclement weather, special events or offsite activities)
Sponsors
Associate Professor Luke Wolfenden
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
3 Years to 6 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Childcare services (long day care services and preschools) For a service to be eligible it will be within the Hunter New England geographic region of NSW Australia and have a minimum total number of children enrolled aged 3-6 years of at least 25. Children For children within the service to be eligible to participate they will be aged 3-6 years, have parental consent and attend care during any of the days of designated data collection.
Exclusion criteria
Childcare services (long day care services and preschools) Services serving special needs populations will be excluded from participating in the trial given the specialist care required for such children and the likelihood of a differential effect in this population group. Services already implementing continuous indoor/outdoor play within the core hours of 9am to 3pm will be deemed ineligible. Children Children at the service with special needs will be excluded from participating in the trial.
Outcome results
None listed