Abstract
BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the multi-component health promotion program, JolinchenKids – fit and healthy in daycare, designed to promote physical activity (PA), healthy eating, and mental wellbeing among 3- to 6-year-old preschoolers.MethodsFor this cluster controlled trial, 62 daycare facilities (DFs) from thirteen different federal states in Germany were recruited (31 intervention, 31 control DFs). Outcome measures were children’s habitual PA, fruits and vegetable consumption, consumption of unsweetened beverages and snacks with parents as raters. Study nurses assessed children’s body composition and motor skills. Data was collected at baseline and 12 months later. To track adherence to the implementation of intervention modules at individual DF groups, an implementation calendar was used from baseline to follow-up. Linear mixed models were used to investigate effects for survey, group and their interaction at the individual level while accounting for clustering.ResultsSamples of 831 (baseline) and 641 (follow-up) children aged 4.3 ± 0.8 and 5.2 ± 0.8 years were analysed. More than half of the intervention DFs chose the nutrition or PA module for the first year of implementation while an implementation level of > 50% was only achieved in less than a third. A significant intervention effect (survey × group interaction) was found for the standing long jump favouring children at intervention DFs (β = 3.08; 95% Confidence interval [CI]: (0.09; 6.07)). No significant intervention effects were found for time spent on PA, total screen time, dietary habits, and body composition, i.e. body-mass-index and percentage of body fat.ConclusionsParticipation in JolinchenKids – fit and healthy in daycare led to improvements in some indicators for motor skills. However, other health outcomes and behaviours were not affected by program participation over the course of 1 year.Trial registrationGerman Clinical Trials Register DRKS00011065 (Date of registration 16-09-2016).
Highlights
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the multi-component health promotion program, JolinchenKids – fit and healthy in daycare, designed to promote physical activity (PA), healthy eating, and mental wellbeing among 3- to 6-year-old preschoolers
The FHC-NU Scale is comprised of 17 items pertaining to four subscales: value (e.g.,” ... it is normal to choose healthful foods”), cohesion (e.g., “...we appreciate spending time together during meals”), communication (e.g., “...we talk about which foods are healthful”), consensus (e.g.,” ...we rarely argue about food- or diet-related matters”)
The characteristics of the daycare facility (DF) included in our study suggest that the matching of intervention and control DFs according to socio-demographic indicators appeared to have worked well
Summary
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the multi-component health promotion program, JolinchenKids – fit and healthy in daycare, designed to promote physical activity (PA), healthy eating, and mental wellbeing among 3- to 6-year-old preschoolers. Fostering young children’s mental and physiological health and examining the impact of programs for health promotion represents a major goal for researchers, policy makers and practitioners in various settings, including daycare. This entails an age-appropriate growth and development [1], including a healthy body weight and proper development of motor skills, as well as of social and emotional skills. Health promotion in young children should focus on health-related outcomes but comprehensive programs should be offered that include components targeting motor skill development and learning [21]
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