NCT03454061

Effects of a Physical Education Programme in Preschool Children

The Development of Motor Skills by a Physical Education Programme in Preschool Children: a Preschool-based Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 119 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Palermo · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 40 Months – 67 Months
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Unlike other European countries, Italian kindergartens do not include the physical education teacher in the school organic personnel. This is frequently associated with the lack of opportunities to perform physical education by preschool children. The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of a specific 16-week-long physical education programme (PEP) of 16-week length on the development of locomotor and object control skills in preschool children.

Detailed description

We conducted a school-based non-randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effect of a specific 16-week-long physical education program (PEP) on the quotient of gross motor development (QGMD) in preschool children. This study involved 119 children who were clustered in a control group (CG, n= 29, age: 52.1±8.65 months; height: 1.1±0.07 m, body weight: 19.2±5.55 Kg, BMI: 16.9±3.16) and an intervention group (IG, n= 90, age: 57.4±9.42 months; height: 1.1±0.06 m, body weight: 19.3±3.65 Kg, BMI: 16±1.75). Participants were assessed for locomotor ability and object control skills using the Italian version of gross motor development test, before and after the experimental period.

Conditions

• Motor Activity
• Child Development

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	physical activity	Physical education program (PEP) of 16-week length

Timeline

• Start date: 2015-12-01
• Primary completion: 2016-05-31
• Completion: 2016-06-01
• First posted: 2018-03-05
• Last updated: 2018-03-05