NCT01588392

Short bouTs of Exercise for Preschool-age Children

Effects of Short Bouts of Physical Activity in Low-income Preschool-age Children

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 323 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Massachusetts, Amherst · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 3 Years – 5 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

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.

Conditions

• Physical Activity

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Short 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.
BEHAVIORAL	Unstructured 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.

Timeline

• Start date: 2011-11-01
• Primary completion: 2013-05-01
• Completion: 2013-09-01
• First posted: 2012-05-01
• Last updated: 2023-06-08

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States