Physical Activity
Conditions
Keywords
Physical activity, preschoolers
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to examine if short bouts of structured physical activity implemented within the classroom setting as part of designated gross-motor playtime will increase preschool-age children during-school physical activity level.
Detailed description
Most preschool centers provide two 30-minute sessions of gross-motor/outdoor playtime per preschool day. Within this time frame, children accumulate most of their activity within the first 10 minutes. This study is a cluster randomized controlled study designed to examine the effects of short bouts of structured physical activity implemented within the classroom setting as part of designated gross-motor playtime on during-school physical activity in preschoolers. Results from this intervention could provide evidence that a physical activity policy that exposes preschoolers to shorter bouts of structured physical activity throughout the preschool day could potentially increase preschooler's physical activity levels.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALShort bouts of structured physical activity
Short bouts of structured physical activity preschools will be asked to implement age-appropriate 10 minute structured physical activity routines within the classroom setting followed by 20 minutes of usual unstructured playtime activities. Intervention will be implemented for a total of 30 minutes during both morning and afternoon gross motor playtime 5 days/week for 6 months.
BEHAVIORALUnstructured physical activity
Unstructured physical activity intervention will consist of 30 minutes of supervised unstructured free playtime twice. intervention will be delivered during both morning and afternoon gross motor playtime for 5 days/week for 6 months.
Sponsors
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
3 Years to 5 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Attend one of 10 participating preschool centers * Attend preschool full-time * Children between 2.9 - 5 years of age on the date of baseline assessment
Exclusion criteria
* Did not have a condition limiting their participation in routine gross-motor playtime at preschool * Unable to wear the activity monitor
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change from baseline in Physical activity levels at 6-month | Baseline, 3-month and 6-month after study initiation | Physical activity levels will be assessed with accelerometer and direct observation system |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed