Abstract
BackgroundIn order for infants and toddlers to meet recommended movement guidelines, their caregivers need to encourage play daily. This study used a qualitative approach to understand how mothers perceive and promote play and physical activity during the first 2 years of life.MethodsMothers with children between 0 and 24 months were recruited from the SAMRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit in Soweto, South Africa. 19 mothers agreed to participate and were grouped into three focus group discussions (FGDs) by age of the child: 0–6-months, 7–14-months, and 15–24-months. Thereafter, 12 mothers (4 from each FGD) were selected for inclusion in in-depth interviews (IDIs). After coding and theme/sub-theme identification had been completed for all IDIs, a process of cross-cutting theme identification and confirmation across FGDs and IDIs was carried out.ResultsThe mothers were (mean ± SD) 27 (6) years old. All mothers had attended secondary school, but only nine had matriculated. Only one mother was married (and lived with the child’s father), and the majority (n = 15) were unemployed. Most children were male (63%) and were aged 11 (7) months. Four main themes emerged: 1) Physical activity as an indicator for health, 2) Promoting play and development, 3) Gender bias in play, and 4) Screen time.ConclusionsThis study showed that developmental attainment was the most important outcome for mothers, and so focussing intervention content on the promotion of child development through movement is advised. Screen time was freely available to children, and we recommend educating mothers on the movement guidelines, with a particular focus on the detrimental effects of screen time in this age group. Mothers reported many barriers to promoting play, and these are essential to consider when designing interventions in this context, in order to allow for equal opportunities for play to be provided to all children.
Highlights
In order for infants and toddlers to meet recommended movement guidelines, their caregivers need to encourage play daily
Ethical approval was obtained from the University of the Witwatersrand Human Research Ethics Committee and written informed consent was obtained from all participants for both the focus group discussions (FGDs) and the indepth interviews (IDIs) where applicable, as well as for the recording of their audio
This is similar to findings from stakeholder focus group discussions conducted in South Africa following the release of the local movement guidelines for the early years, which found that parents had many gaps in their knowledge of the benefits of movement for young children [2, 4]
Summary
In order for infants and toddlers to meet recommended movement guidelines, their caregivers need to encourage play daily. While play is not meant to be perceived as a task, it is the primary method of engagement in physical activity in the early years. In addition to the health benefits of play, the Nurturing Care Framework describes opportunities for early learning, and responsive caregiving as two of the five key components necessary for optimal early childhood development [3]. Interactive and stimulating play in the first 2 years of life ensures that infants and toddlers meet movement guidelines for healthy growth and development, and ensures that they are receiving the nurturing care they need for optimal emotional and cognitive development
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