Abstract
A previous study identified a significant association between the average physical activity levels of pre-school staff and children during pre-school hours but did not determine if this association was initiated by pre-school staff or children. The present study aimed to explore the interactions between children and staff to better understand the conditions of such a relationship. Observations using the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO) protocol were carried out in three pre-schools, and a focus-group interview and semiformal interviews were conducted with five pre-school staff in one of the three pre-schools to examine the research question. Both the observations and the interview data revealed that physical activity by pre-school staff initiated physical activity among the children. The findings pointing to the importance of pre-school staff as organizers of the physical activity of children and the willingness of staff to join a physical activity initiated by the children also appear to be important. The findings also indicate that most of the physical activity took place outdoors. The study highlights the importance of pre-school staff as major contributors to the physical activity of pre-school children.
Highlights
Lifestyles characterized by obesity and physical inactivity exhibit a tendency to persist from early childhood to adulthood [1,2,3]
Both the observations and the interview data revealed that children liked it when the adults participated in physically active play
The findings strongly identify pre-school staff as the main organizers of the physical activity of children in pre-school through their initiation of physical activity and their willingness to participate in physical activity when children initiate such activity
Summary
Lifestyles characterized by obesity and physical inactivity exhibit a tendency to persist from early childhood to adulthood [1,2,3]. A cross-sectional investigation conducted by Cooper et al [13] found that the total amount of physical activity decreases by an average of 4.2% each year from the age of 5 to the age of 18 Bearing this in mind, Goldfield et al [14] claim that physical activity should be prompted as early as possible since the activity patterns of children are more influenced by the attitudes of role models. The Norwegian pre-school framework plan points out that physical activity promotes positive attitudes and actions that are considered crucial for the perception of physical activity among children [18]. This can be achieved through the perception of mastery in physical activity among children.
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