Abstract
BackgroundAs numbers of children and time spent in childcare centres increase, so does the potential influence of these centres on early childhood physical activity (PA). However, previous reports indicate little success of interventions aimed at improving PA. The Active Early Learning (AEL) program is a multi-component pragmatic intervention designed to imbed PA into the daily curriculum. Delivered by childcare centre staff, it is directed and supported by a peer coach who works across a network of centres. The objective of the study is to investigate the effect of the AEL program on children’s PA.MethodsFifteen childcare centres (8 intervention, 7 control centres; 314 children, 180 boys, 4.3y ± 0.4) participated in a 22-week stratified cluster randomised controlled trial. To be eligible to participate, centres needed to have ≥15 preschool children aged 3 to 5-years. The primary outcome was PA measured by accelerometer (Actigraph GT3X) during childcare centre hours over a 3-day period, calculated in min/h of Total PA and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). The effect of the intervention was evaluated using linear mixed models adjusted for age, sex, accelerometer wear time and centre clustering.ResultsThere was an intervention effect for Total PA (+ 4.06 min/h, 95% CI [2.66 to 5.47], p < .001) and MVPA (+ 2.33 min/h, 95% CI [1.31 to 3.34] p < .001). On average, a child taking part in the intervention attending a childcare centre from 8 am to 3 pm performed 28 min more Total PA and 16 min more MVPA per day than children receiving usual practice care.ConclusionIn contrast with the findings of previous pragmatic trials in early childcare centres, this study shows that a peer-coach facilitated program, focussed on integrating PA into the daily childcare routine, can elicit increases in preschool children’s PA of practical as well as statistical significance.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials registry: ACTRN12619000638134. Registered 30/04/2019.
Highlights
As numbers of children and time spent in childcare centres increase, so does the potential influence of these centres on early childhood physical activity (PA)
Of particular interest was the conclusion drawn in a recent meta-analysis [6] that not one pragmatic intervention in childcare settings had been successful in improving physical activity
A higher proportion of boys (57%) than girls participated in the study and there was a higher proportion of girls in the intervention compared to the control arm (45% vs 40%)
Summary
As numbers of children and time spent in childcare centres increase, so does the potential influence of these centres on early childhood physical activity (PA). Despite insufficient current evidence to describe any specific approach most likely to succeed, authors have outlined intervention characteristics that appear to promote success. These include: structured activities incorporated into the daily ‘routine’ [6, 7]; professional development of educators and carers [5, 8], as well as alternate methods to traditional face-to-face professional development, such as mentoring, and coaching [9]; specific targeting of the group of interest [7]; pragmatic considerations that suggest “real world” application [6]; and appropriate theory in the design process [8]. Of particular interest was the conclusion drawn in a recent meta-analysis [6] that not one pragmatic intervention in childcare settings had been successful in improving physical activity
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