NCT03752008

Preschoolers Active at Child Care (PACT)

Preschoolers Active at Child Care

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 131 (actual)
• Sponsor: Seattle Children's Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 3 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The aim of this study was to develop, test, and compare two approaches to increasing physical activity (PA) and decreasing sedentary time among young children at child care centers, one which focused on a teacher-led PA curriculum (AP=Active Play!) and the other on increasing outdoor free play time (OP=Outdoor Play!).

Detailed description

This was a matched pair cluster-randomized study in 10 child care centers. One classroom in each pair received either AP or OP, and their providers received a condition-specific 3-hour workshop. Pre- and post-intervention data were collected from classroom observation and accelerometers. Additional information about teachers' attitudes and practices was collected via pre-intervention survey.

Conditions

• Physical Activity

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Active Play (AP)	This intervention focused on promoting PA in preschoolers through structured, teacher-led activities that could be incorporated into daily curriculum. Teachers attended a 3-hour workshop that included presentation and discussion of 1) the importance of daily physical activity for children's health and development, 2) teachers' beliefs and barriers to promoting PA, and 3) the Active Play! Intervention materials. Teachers were introduced to and given the Active Play! Fun Physical Activities for Young Children Book and Digital Video Disk (DVD), which promotes PA and fundamental movement skills in young children. Clips of the DVD demonstrating various activities were shown and activities were modeled. Examples of activities include jumping on bubble wrap, hula hoop limbo and an indoor obstacle course. The end of the book has a suggested curriculum that teachers could follow. Centers in the Active Play! intervention also received a set of portable toys needed for the suggested activities.
BEHAVIORAL	Outdoor Play (OP)	This intervention focused on promoting outdoor time in preschoolers as a means to increasing their PA, using both child initiated and teacher-led activities. The training and materials were designed to emphasize the teacher's own connection with nature, the benefits of outdoor time for children and adults, and problem solving around barriers encountered. Teachers at participating centers attended one 3-hour workshop (delivered at the childcare center) that focused on having participants recognize their own connection with the natural world and how to transmit that to the next generation. Teachers were given hats and gloves for themselves, a set of rain jackets and boots for the preschoolers, and ideas on what children could do outdoors to be active.

Timeline

• Start date: 2012-12-04
• Primary completion: 2014-04-24
• Completion: 2014-04-24
• First posted: 2018-11-23
• Last updated: 2018-11-26