An evidence-based health promotion intervention aimed at improving the physical activity levels of preschoolers in centre-based childcare Not Applicable
Conditions
Interventions
The following is a description of our planned trial interventions (of which will take place over an 8-week period during the spring and summer months):
1. Experimental condition:
Randomly selected c
all of which are designed to encourage physical activity participation among preschoolers. The intervention period will last 8 weeks (weekdays only
Monday-Friday), after which the intervention will cease.
The specific components of the intervention will be guided by the steering committee and are discussed below:
(a) Environmental modifications
Vanderloo et al., 2012).The equipment provided will be available for the full 8-week duration of the intervention, and will be rotated on a daily basis (e.g., on Mondays, tricycles will be added to th
Sponsors
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Canada)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Childcare centres will be invited to participate if they have one or more full-day preschool-aged classrooms at their facility. A sample of male and female preschoolers (aged 2.5-4 years) will be drawn from these centre-based childcare facilities in London Ontario. Inclusion criteria for childcare centres include: 1. Must provide childcare in London, Ontario from a centre-based facility 2. Must have at least one preschool classroom 3. Must have childcare providers in the preschool classroom who are willing to participate 4. Must speak/read English Inclusion criteria for pre-schooler participants include: 1. Must be enrolled in the preschool classroom of a participating centre 2. Must between the ages of 2.5 and 4 years of age at baseline 3. Must be expected to remain in childcare for the next 12 months 4. Must have a parent/guardian that can read and write English 5. Must speak and understand English 6. Must receive parental consent
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Exclusion criteria for childcare centres include: 1. Not located in London, Ontario 2. Do not have a preschool classroom 3. Do not have childcare providers in the classroom who are willing to participate 4. Not an English-speaking facility. Inclusion criteria for pre-schooler participants include: 1. Not between the ages of 2.5 and 4 years at baseline 2. Not expected to remain in childcare for the next 12 months 3. Not enrolled in a preschool classroom of a participating centre 4. Do not speak English 5. Parent/guardian does not read/write in English
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Physical activity levels, to know if our research program has been effective if we see an increase in minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and total physical activity (MVPA and TPA, respectively). This outcome will be measured using accelerometers, which have been acknowledged in research as the most favourable tool for assessing young children?s (i.e., 0-5 years) habitual activity patterns (Cliff et al., 2009; Oliver et al., 2007; Pate et al., 2010). Specific to this study, preschooler?s physical activity and sedentary behaviours will be measured using Actical accelerometers (MiniMitter, Bend, Oregon). These lightweight omnidirectional motion sensors (which do not record the children?s location) will provide detailed data on the duration (summed into minutes of physical activity), intensity, and frequency of the children?s movements (Van Cauwenberghe et al., 2011) as well as step counts. A 15-second epoch length will be applied to capture the sporadic activity and intermittent periods of rest of the young participants (Cliff et al., 2009; Colley et al., 2010; Pate et al., 2010; Pfeiffer et al., 2006). The Acticals will be secured to the participants? right hip using an adjustable neoprene belt and will be programmed to begin collecting activity data on the morning of the first day of data collection. Wear-time of the accelerometers will be recorded in a daily log. Physical activity assessments using accelerometers will last one week for each classroom during childcare hours; Monday-Friday only, for each of the four assessment points (i.e., baseline, post-intervention, 6- and 12-month follow-up). The 6- and 12-month follow-up time points will allow us to determine the long-term impact of the intervention and to identify if changes in physical activity levels can be maintained. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The secondary outcome measures for preschoolers include sedentary behaviour (decreased time) and BMI (decreased score). Secondary outcome measures also include childcare providers? physical activity levels, knowledge, and self-efficacy. 1. Demographics: Parents of preschoolers will be asked to complete a demographic questionnaire at baseline to gather information regarding potential correlates of preschoolers? physical activity (e.g., their preschooler?s age, sex, ethnic origin, family income, parent education levels, parent activity levels, as well as the child?s physical activity participation outside of childcare [e.g., swimming lessons, soccer]). This tool will also capture parent/guardian physical activity levels along with their height and weight (for BMI calculations). Such data will be entered as predictors of physical activity in our analyses. 2. Anthropometric measures: A number of anthropometric measures will be taken from the children at pre-, post-intervention, and at 6- and 12-month follow-up. These measures are: height (using a Seca 214 'Road Rod' Portable Stadiometer; nearest 0.1 cm); weight (using a Tanita 700-TBF300GS Body Fat Analyzer w/Goal Setter scale; nearest 0.1 kg); and waist circumference (using a measuring tape; nearest 0.1 cm). The data collected will be used to calculate the child?s standardized body mass index score (BMI-z). All of these data will be recorded in a separate tracking sheet for each participant. 3. Childcare Provider Physical Activity Questionnaire: This questionnaire, comprising the validated Adapted Godin Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire (Irwin, 2007) along with questions devoted to activity knowledge and practice, will be administered to childcare providers prior to the onset of the intervention to examine their current physical activity levels, knowledge, and practice within their childcare centres. Childcare providers have acknowledged their influence on preschoolers? activity levels, as such, it is imp | — |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed