Feasibility and effectiveness of two built environmental interventions on physical activity among 3–5‐year‐old preschoolers

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose was to examine the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of two built environmental interventions with Head Start preschool children to increase minutes and intensity and total physical activity (PA). Design and Methods:A prospective, quasi-experimental, repeated measures design was conducted in two Head Start centers. Centers were randomly assigned to one of two intervention arms. Intervention Arm I added portable play equipment to the school environment; Arm II introduced portable play equipment plus PA education for staff and children. PA was measured during school using accelerometers and by observation using SOPLAY. The data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.Results: Ninety-seven children and eight staff were enrolled; valid PA data were available for 56 children (58%). Minutes of PA were highest at baseline in both groups and declined over the intervention. PA in Arm I decreased 22 min from weeks one to three and 12 min (p < .001) from weeks 3 to 6. In Arm II, PA declined 33 min from weeks one to three and 20 min (p < .001) from weeks 3 to 6. Practice Implications: Nurses work to maintain and improve health at multiple levels of influence and are in strategic positions to educate and support PA to maintain and improve the health of all ages. School-based PA interventions have been reported with varying success. The feasibility of this study provides insight into the challenges in planning and conducting school-based interventions including enrollment, attrition, and accelerometer wear-time compliance. Despite our interventions, there was no positive response to either intervention, with PA declining at each time period in both groups. However, baseline PA was significantly higher than in previous studies. Schools can provide children with opportunities to accumulate PA. K E Y W O R D S child health, child, preschool, environment, intervention, motor activity, physical activity, school health

System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth: A Systematic Review of US and Canadian Studies

“…The provision of equipment and supervision, particularly adult supervision during PA opportunities was shown to be significantly related to increased MVPA as reported across 8 studies 27‐32 . In contrast, 2 studies found no significant change in PA with the presence of supervision or inclusion of equipment 33,34 …”

“…[27][28][29][30][31][32] In contrast, 2 studies found no significant change in PA with the presence of supervision or inclusion of equipment. 33,34 Participants and Settings Of the 60 studies analyzed, 75% (n = 45) reported the number of individuals observed, and 43.3% indicated the proportion of participants by gender and 58.3% identified them by race and/or ethnicity (Table 1). The number observed in studies ranged from 61 to 36,995 (X = 5240.9, SD = 8767.2), with 88.9% of studies including fewer than 10,000 participants (Table 2).…”

“…In sum, the results from this review point toward the importance of contextual characteristics, such as available playground equipment, access to locations, organized PA opportunities, or supervision from staff or teachers. 34,59,60 SOPLAY may assist those responsible with understanding the school and community areas that are available for children and adolescents to engage in leisure PA throughout the day. As an effective tool for measuring PA and examining critical features of the school environment, studies included in this review highlight the importance of understanding factors influencing child and adolescent PA.…”

Change in pre- and in-service early childhood educators’ knowledge, self-efficacy, and intentions following an e-learning course in physical activity and sedentary behaviour: a pilot study

“…To date, childcare physical activity and sedentary behaviour interventions have focused largely on: the physical environment [ 8 , 9 ]; modifications to policy and practice [ 10 – 12 ]; and, training and support for early childhood educators (ECEs) [ 13 – 15 ]. The latter has proven to be essential, not only for its impact on children’s movement behaviours in childcare, [ 16 ] but also for its supportive role in facilitating successful environment, and policy and practice interventions [ 17 , 18 ].…”

Parental Views on the Acceptability and Feasibility of Measurement Tools Used to Assess Movement Behaviour of Pre-School Children: A Qualitative Study

“…Although the key measurement properties (validity and reliability) are fundamental when selecting a measurement tool, the acceptability (whether individuals are willing to do something) and feasibility (whether individuals are able to do something) of a tool may determine success of the study [ 15 , 16 ]. The measurement tool of choice can affect retention in research studies and the amount of usable data, including through low compliance with accelerometer wearing protocols [ 17 , 18 , 19 ], with some research suspending the use of accelerometers during data collection for these reasons [ 20 , 21 ]. For example, the SUNRISE study, an international project using multiple measurement tools to collect data on movement behaviours of pre-school children, has suspended use of an accelerometer and modified existing parental reported tools due to feasibility and acceptability concerns [ 21 ].…”