This pilot study examined the effects of a teacher-taught, locomotor skill (LMS)-based physical activity (PA) program on the LMS and PA levels of minority preschooler-aged children. Eight low-socioeconomic status preschool classrooms were randomized into LMS-PA (LMS-oriented lesson plans) or control group (supervised free playtime). Interventions were delivered for 30 min/day, five days/week for six months. Changes in PA (accelerometer) and LMS variables were assessed with MANCOVA. LMS-PA group exhibited a significant reduction in during-preschool (F (1,16) = 6.34, p = .02, d = 0.02) and total daily (F (1,16) = 9.78, p = .01, d = 0.30) percent time spent in sedentary activity. LMS-PA group also exhibited significant improvement in leaping skills, F (1, 51) = 7.18, p = .01, d = 0.80). No other, significant changes were observed. The implementation of a teacher-taught, LMS-based PA program could potentially improve LMS and reduce sedentary time of minority preschoolers.

The impact of additional structured outdoor playtime on preschoolers' physical activity (PA) level is unclear. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the effects of increasing structured outdoor playtime on preschoolers' PA levels. Eight full-day classrooms (n 0134 children) from two preschool programmes were randomised into a treatment (STRUCT, n 04) or control (CON, n 04) condition. Both groups received an additional 30 minutes of outdoor playtime three days per week for four weeks. The STRUCT intervention consisted of previously tested structured outdoor playtime activities/games. The CON intervention consisted of free outdoor playtime. Children were individually recruited (n075) for the objective assessment of PA levels. The PA levels of 67 children (age, 4.190.8 years; STRUCT, n038; CON, n 029) were assessed at baseline and during week four for seven consecutive days using Actigraph accelerometers. Data were analysed using mixed-model analysis of variance. Time spent in vigorous PA significantly increased during the 30-minute intervention time for the STRUCT group compared with the CON group (group )time interaction: F(1, 36) 04.91, p00.04). Compared with baseline, a significant increase was observed in the STRUCT group's time spent engaged in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) during the intervention time, but this increase was not significant compared with the CON group (baseline: STRUCT, 1.792.0 min; CON, 1.992.4 min; week four: STRUCT, 4.993.1 min; CON, 3.392.5 min). Compared with the CON group, the STRUCT group spent a significantly greater percentage of time engaged in MVPA and a

BackgroundMost preschool centers provide two 30-min sessions of gross-motor/outdoor playtime per preschool day. Within this time frame, children accumulate most of their activity within the first 10 min. This paper describes the design and baseline participant characteristics of the Short bouTs of Exercise for Preschoolers (STEP) study. The STEP study is a cluster randomized controlled study designed to examine the effects of short bouts of structured physical activity (SBS-PA) implemented within the classroom setting as part of designated gross-motor playtime on during-school physical activity (PA) in preschoolers.Methods/DesignTen preschool centers serving low-income families were randomized into SBS-PA versus unstructured PA (UPA). SBS-PA schools were asked to implement age-appropriate 10 min structured PA routines within the classroom setting, twice daily, followed by 20 min of usual unstructured playtime. UPA intervention consisted of 30 min of supervised unstructured free playtime twice daily. Interventions were implemented during the morning and afternoon designated gross-motor playtime for 30 min/session, five days/week for six months. Outcome measures were between group difference in during-preschool PA (accelerometers and direct observation) over six-months. Ten preschool centers, representing 34 classrooms and 315 children, enrolled in the study. The average age and BMI percentile for the participants was 4.1 ± 0.8 years and 69th percentile, respectively. Participants spent 74% and 6% of their preschool day engaged in sedentary and MVPA, respectively.DiscussionResults from the STEP intervention could provide evidence that a PA policy that exposes preschoolers to shorter bouts of structured PA throughout the preschool day could potentially increase preschoolers’ PA levels.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov, NCT01588392

Positive parent-child attachment can be determined by opportunities for the child to interact with his/her parent and can influence a child's physical activity (PA) behavior. Therefore, an intervention that provides children and their parent more time to interact positively could impact children's PA. We examined the efficacy of a 12-week mother-daughter intervention on African-American girls' PA levels. In Spring of 2013 and 2014, mother-daughter dyads (n = 76) from Springfield, MA, were randomly assigned to one of three groups [child-mother (CH-M, n = 28), child alone (CH, n = 25), or control (CON, n = 23)] that participated in an afterschool culturally-tailored dance intervention (60 min/day, 3 days/week, 12 weeks). Girls in the CH-M group participated in the intervention with their maternal figure, while girls in the CH group participated in the intervention alone. CON group participants received weekly health-related newsletters. PA was assessed with accelerometers for seven days at baseline, 6-weeks, and 12-weeks. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine rates of change in PA. During the afterschool intervention time, girls in the CH-M group displayed a significantly steeper rate of increase in their percent time spent in vigorous PA compared to both the CON (γ = 0.80, p < 0.001) and the CH group (χ2 (1)=13.01, p < 0.001). Mothers in the CH-M group displayed a significantly steeper rate of increase in their percent time spent in total daily moderate-to-vigorous PA compared to CH group's mothers (γ = 0.07, p = 0.01). This culturally-tailored mother-daughter afterschool intervention influenced African-American girls' afterschool hour PA levels, but not total daily PA.Trial Registration: Study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.govNCT01588379.