Parental perceptions, attitudes and knowledge on European preschool children’s total screen time: the ToyBox-study

Abstract Background Preschool children spend a significant proportion of their waking hours being sedentary. Parents play a critical role in developing and shaping their children’s lifestyle behaviours, particularly in the early years of life. This study aims to assess parental perceptions, attitudes and knowledge of their preschool children’s sedentary behaviours and the association with children’s television (TV)/video/DVDs viewing and total screen time. Methods Data were obtained from a sample of 4836 children (3.5–5.5 years), participating in the multi-centre ToyBox-study at baseline (T0) and at 1-year follow-up (T1) periods. Data on children’s sedentary behaviours were collected via a standardized proxy-administered primary caregiver’s questionnaire. Results Regarding total screen time, 66.6% of the children at T0 and 71.8% at T1 in the control group exceeded the recommendations, whereas the proportion in the intervention group varied from 69.7% at T0 to 72.5% at T1. The odds of exceeding total screen time recommendations were significantly higher when parental perceptions towards limiting the total screen time were negative [(both T0 and T1 and in the intervention and control groups (P < 0.05)]. Similarly, the odds of exceeding TV/video/DVDs viewing recommendations were significantly higher (both T0 and T1 is observed in both groups) when parental knowledge of recommendation were absent. Conclusions Preschool children whose caregivers stated rules limiting their sedentary screen time were less likely to spend a high amount of time watching TV/video/DVDs. Interventions to increase parental practices may be a promising approach to decrease total screen time of preschool children but studies are needed to confirm this.

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Evaluating the effectiveness of interventions to reducing screen time in children: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Journal of Public Mental Health ◽

10.1108/jpmh-03-2021-0039 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Duygu Akçay ◽

Nuray Barış

Keyword(s):

Effect Size ◽

Subgroup Analysis ◽

Screen Time ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Control Group ◽

Content Type ◽

Mean Differences ◽

The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of interventions focused on reducing screen time in children. Design/methodology/approach Studies that aim to investigate the effects of interventions aimed at reducing the time spent in front of the screen (i.e. screen time). A Random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled standard mean differences. The outcome was to evaluate the screen time in children in the 0–18 age range. A subgroup analysis was performed to reveal the extent to which the overall effect size varied by subgroups (participant age, duration of intervention and follow). Findings For the outcome, the meta-analysis included 21 studies, and the standard difference in mean change in screen time in the intervention group compared with the control group was −0.16 (95% confidence interval [CI], −0.21 to −0.12) (p < 0.001). The effect size was found to be higher in long-term (=7 months) interventions and follow-ups (p < 0.05). Originality/value Subgroup analysis showed that a significant effect of screen time reduction was observed in studies in which the duration of intervention and follow-up was =7 months. As the evidence base grows, future researchers can contribute to these findings by conducting a more comprehensive analysis of effect modifiers and optimizing interventions to reduce screen time.

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Understanding the influence of 24-hour movement behaviours on the health and development of preschool children from low-income South African settings: the SUNRISE pilot study

South African Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.17159/2078-516x/2020/v32i1a8415 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Catherine Draper ◽

Simone A Tomaz ◽

Caylee J Cook ◽

Sasha S Jugdav ◽

Candice Ramsammy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Sedentary Behaviour ◽

South African ◽

Motor Skills ◽

Low Income ◽

Screen Time ◽

Early Years ◽

Gross Motor

Background: The International Study of Movement Behaviours in the Early Years, SUNRISE, was initiated to assess the extent to which young children meet movement behaviour guidelines (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, screen time, sleep). Objective: The South African SUNRISE pilot study assessed movement behaviours in preschool children from two low-income settings, and associations between these movement behaviours, adiposity, motor skills and executive function (EF). Methods: Preschool child/parent pairs (n = 89) were recruited from preschools in urban Soweto and rural Sweetwaters. Height and weight were measured to assess adiposity. Physical activity was assessed using accelerometers while sedentary behaviour, screen time and sleep were assessed via parent report. Fine and gross motor development were measured using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3, and EF was assessed using the Early Years Toolbox. Results: The proportion of children meeting the physical activity guideline was 84% , 66% met the sleep guideline ,48% met the screen time guideline , and 26% met all three guidelines. Rural children were more active, but spent more time on screens compared to urban children. Most children were on track for gross (96%) and fine motor (73%) development, and mean EF scores were in the expected range for all EF measures. EF was negatively associated with screen time, and gross motor skills were positively associated with physical activity. Conclusion: The South African SUNRISE study contributes to the growing literature on 24-hour movement behaviours in SA preschool children, and highlights that these behaviours require attention in this age group.

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P092: Combatting sedentary lifestyles; can exercise prescriptions in the emergency department lead to a behavioural change in patients?

CJEM ◽

10.1017/cem.2018.290 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 20 (S1) ◽

pp. S89-S89

Author(s):

D. Lewis ◽

K. Leech-Porter ◽

F. Milne ◽

J. Fraser ◽

S. Hull ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Primary Outcome ◽

Exercise Prescription ◽

Behavioural Change ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Routine Care ◽

Control Group ◽

Post Hoc

Introduction: Patients with chronic diseases are known to benefit from exercise. Such patients often visit the emergency department (ED). There are few studies examining prescribing exercise in the ED. We wished to study if exercise prescription in the ED is feasible and effective. Methods: In this pilot prospective block randomized trial, patients in the control group received routine care, whereas the intervention group received a combined written and verbal prescription for moderate exercise (150 minutes/week). Both groups were followed up by phone at 2 months. The primary outcome was achieving 150 min of exercise per week. Secondary outcomes included change in exercise, and differences in reported median weekly exercise. Comparisons were made by Mann-Whitney and Fishers tests (GraphPad). Results: Follow-up was completed for 22 patients (11 Control; 11 Intervention). Baseline reported median (with IQR) weekly exercise was similar between groups; Control 0(0-0)min; Intervention 0(0-45)min. There was no difference between groups for the primary outcome of 150 min/week at 2 months (Control 3/11; Intervention 4/11, RR 1.33 (95%CI 0.38-4.6;p=1.0). There was a significant increase in median exercise from baseline in both groups, but no difference between the groups (Control 75(10-225)min; Intervention 120(52.5-150)min;NS). 3 control patients actually received exercise prescription as part of routine care. A post-hoc comparison of patients receiving intervention vs. no intervention, revealed an increase in patients meeting the primary target of 150min/week (No intervention 0/8; Intervention 7/14, RR 2.0 (95%CI 1.2-3.4);p=0.023). Conclusion: Recruitment was feasible, however our study was underpowered to quantify an estimated effect size. As a significant proportion of the control group received the intervention (as part of standard care), any potential measurable effect was diluted. The improvement seen in patients receiving intervention and the increase in reported exercise in both groups (possible Hawthorne effect) suggests that exercise prescription for ED patients may be beneficial.

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Effects of a Nine-Month Physical Activity Intervention on Morphological Characteristics and Motor and Cognitive Skills of Preschool Children

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17186609 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (18) ◽

pp. 6609

Author(s):

Damjan Jaksic ◽

Sandra Mandic ◽

Nebojsa Maksimovic ◽

Zoran Milosevic ◽

Roberto Roklicer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Motor Skills ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Cognitive Skills ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Assessment System ◽

Control Group

(1) Background: Regular physical activity (PA) plays an important role during early childhood physical and psychological development. This study investigates the effects of a 9-month PA intervention on physiological characteristics and motor and cognitive skills in preschool children. (2) Methods: Preschool children (n = 132; age 4 to 7 years) attending regular preschool programs were nonrandomly assigned to PA intervention (n = 66; 60 min sessions twice per week) or a control group (n = 66; no additional organized PA program) for 9 months. Exercise training for the intervention group included various sports games, outdoor activities, martial arts, yoga, and dance. Anthropometry, motor skills (7 tests), and cognitive skills (Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices and Cognitive Assessment System) were assessed before and after an intervention period in both groups. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. (3) Results: Body weight significantly increased in both groups over time. Compared to the changes observed in the control group, the intervention group significantly increased in chest circumference (p = 0.022). In contrast, the control group demonstrated an increase in waist circumference (p = 0.001), while these measures in the intervention group remained stable. Participants in the intervention group improved running speed (p = 0.016) and standing broad jump (p = 0.000). The flexibility level was maintained in the intervention group, while a significant decrease was observed in the control group (p = 0.010). Children from the intervention group demonstrated progress in the bent-arm hang test (p = 0.001), unlike the control group subjects. Varied improvements in cognitive skills were observed for different variables in both intervention and control groups, with no robust evidence for PA-intervention-related improvements. (4) Conclusions: Preschool children’s participation in a preschool PA intervention improves their motor skills.

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Assessing effective methods to educate caregivers on fever in children aimed at reducing input to the paediatric emergency department

Proceedings of Singapore Healthcare ◽

10.1177/2010105817733271 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 73-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tessa E-Lin Ong ◽

Jade Phek Hui Kua ◽

Luther Jinmian Yiew ◽

Zi Ying Lim ◽

Michelle Xing Hui Thia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

P Value ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Paediatric Emergency Department ◽

Paediatric Emergency ◽

Fever Management

Introduction: Many paediatric emergency departments face a significant proportion of non-urgent attendances, leading to problems for both patients and healthcare systems. Our primary aim was to compare the effectiveness of pamphlet versus video in educating caregivers regarding fever management in children. Our secondary aim was to assess caregivers’ sentiments towards these methods. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 50 participants over a four-week period (May–June 2015) in the KK Hospital Paediatric Emergency Department. The control group was exposed to the standard pamphlet available in the KK Hospital Paediatric Emergency Department, which provided basic information on fever management. The intervention group watched a video produced by our team, containing similar content. The same five-question questionnaire assessing fever management knowledge was issued to participants before and immediately following exposure to intervention. Results: The pamphlet group had a mean pre-intervention score=2.8 (out of five), post-intervention score=3.84, amounting to an improvement of 1.04. The video group had a mean pre-intervention score=2.56, post-intervention score=4.12, giving an improvement of 1.36. The study was powered at 80%, with calculated p-value=0.111, hence the results were statistically insignificant. Both groups had increased self-reported awareness post-exposure, found the intervention useful, would rely on it for future management and would recommend it to others. Conclusion: While the sample size was limited, this study demonstrates the potential that both pamphlet and video interventions have in educating caregivers, as participants reported favourable sentiments towards the methods. It would be worthwhile to conduct the study on a larger scale to yield statistically significant results.

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Effects of Long-Term Use of Insoles with a Toe-Grip Bar on the Balance, Walking, and Running of Preschool Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2020/1940954 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Hideki Nakano ◽

Shin Murata ◽

Teppei Abiko ◽

Nozomi Mitsumaru ◽

Atsuko Kubo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Step Length ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Control Group ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Before And After ◽

Length Step

This randomized controlled study is aimed at investigating the effects of long-term use of insoles with a toe-grip bar on the balance, walking, and running of preschool children. Fifty-two preschool children were randomly assigned to an intervention group or control group. Children included in the intervention group wore shoes with insoles that had a toe-grip bar, and those in the control group wore shoes with regular insoles without a toe-grip bar for 4 weeks while they were at school. The center of gravity sway (total trajectory length and envelope area), walking parameters (walking speed, cadence, stride length, step length, stance time, and swing time), and time to run 25 m were measured before and after the intervention. The 25 m running time of the intervention group was significantly improved after the intervention (F=5.66; p<0.05). This study suggests that insoles with a toe-grip bar may contribute to improvements in the running of preschool children.

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An Interactive Pedagogy in Mobile Context for Augmenting Early Childhood Numeric Literacy and Quantifying Skills

Journal of Educational Computing Research ◽

10.1177/0735633120947351 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 58 (8) ◽

pp. 1541-1561

Author(s):

Yaser Mowafi ◽

Ismail Abumuhfouz

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Learning Environment ◽

Real World ◽

Interactive Learning ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Mobile Technologies ◽

Control Group ◽

Learning Approach ◽

Learning Content ◽

Mobile Context

Mobile learning techniques have brought the potential of scaffolding information in real-world context that allows learners to interact more actively with their learning content. In this study, we present an interactive learning approach that allows learners to interact with their learning content in real-world context. With learning environment and tasks aligned to the learning content and outcomes, we have developed a mobile application for preschool children to experience their own learning environment using an interactive learning approach and mobile technologies Quick Response codes for learning counting and quantifying skills. The learning content is delivered to learners based on an interactive learning path and the assessment of the learners’ progress to further learning. We evaluate the learning approach in a group of 34 preschool children between 3 and 5 years old, divided into intervention and control group. The intervention group were engaged in numeric learning tasks using the interactive learning approach in mobile context. The control group were engaged in learning activities according to the preschool existing program’s pedagogical curriculum. Pre and post-test learning progress assessment related to the mathematical domain indicate that children from the experimental group performed better than the comparison group after four-month intervention period.

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Associations of Parental Influences with Physical Activity and Screen Time among Young Children: A Systematic Review

Journal of Obesity ◽

10.1155/2015/546925 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-23 ◽

Cited By ~ 94

Author(s):

Huilan Xu ◽

Li Ming Wen ◽

Chris Rissel

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Young Children ◽

Parenting Style ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Screen Time ◽

Parenting Practices ◽

Critical Role ◽

Early Years ◽

Parental Influences

Parents play a critical role in developing and shaping their children’s physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviours, particularly in the early years of life. The aim of this systematic review is to identify current literature investigating associations of parental influences with both PA and screen time in young children. This systematic review was conducted in November 2013 using 6 electronic databases covering research literature from January 1998 to November 2013. Thirty articles that met inclusion criteria were identified. These studies covered five important aspects of parenting: (1) parenting practices; (2) parents’ role modelling; (3) parental perceptions of children’s PA and screen viewing behaviours; (4) parental self-efficacy; and (5) general parenting style. Findings suggest that parents’ encouragement and support can increase children’s PA, and reducing parents’ own screen time can lead to decreased child screen time. Improving parenting practices, parental self-efficacy or changing parenting style may also be promising approaches to increasing PA time and decreasing screen time of young children.

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Reducing “Screen-Time” and Promoting Self Care Activities among Overweight and Obese Pre-Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial

International Healthcare Research Journal ◽

10.26440/ihrj/0504.07436 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. OR1-OR4

Author(s):

Sahil Bansal ◽

Meera Pradhan ◽

Ishan Nagar ◽

Praveen Kumar N.G.

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Screen Time ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Self Care ◽

Study Data ◽

Control Group ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Public Health Challenges ◽

The Difference

INTRODUCTION: Pediatric obesity has been considered as one of the most serious public health challenges in the world. AIM: To reduce “Screen-time” and promoting self care activities among overweight and obese pre-adolescents (aged 10-12 years) in India through proper intervention measures. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Designed as a two-armed randomized controlled trial, 537 pre-adolescents aged 10-12 years were enrolled in this online study. Data was collected through a questionnaire (containing close-ended 26 questions). Pre- adolescents, whose BMI was classified as “overweight” and “obese” were enrolled and randomly assigned (flip of coin) to the intervention group and control group. The intervention group were then given monthly online one-on-one sessions (to maintain confidentiality) by five standardized instructors. The study lasted for four months and a total of four individual sessions were provided to each child in the intervention group. Data was transferred into Excel for descriptive statistics, and analysed using SPSS version 22.0 using the paired t-test and multi variate logistic regression was applied keeping the significance value of p as  0.05. RESULTS: A total of 537 pre- adolescents met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 270(50.3%) belonged to the intervention group and 267 (49.7%) belonged to the control group. Majority of the pre- adolescents were males (59.4%). In the intervention group, there were 61.8% overweight pre-adolescents, which reduced to 42.9%, while in the control group, there were 89.5% overweight pre-adolescents, which reduced 9.8% and the difference between both the groups was observed to be significant (p=0.02). CONCLUSION: Techniques used in the intervention group led to positive outcomes like weight loss and reduced screen time among the pre-adolescents which in turn, helped reduce the global burden of disease.

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Caries-Preventive Effect of Salt Fluoridation in Preschool Children in The Gambia: A Prospective, Controlled, Interventional Study

Caries Research ◽

10.1159/000479892 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 51 (6) ◽

pp. 596-604 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Rainer A. Jordan ◽

Andreas Schulte ◽

Alexander C. Bockelbrink ◽

Sarah Puetz ◽

Ella Naumova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Test Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Random Allocation ◽

Preventive Effect ◽

Envelope Method ◽

Feeding Program ◽

The Mean ◽

Communal Feeding

The aim of this study was to investigate the anticaries effect of fluoridated salt in a communal feeding program for preschool children. In the Gambian city of Brikama, drinking water had a low fluoride content (0.1 mg F-/L) and young children did not use toothpaste for oral hygiene. Its 2 preschools served as clusters for the trial. Random allocation of the kindergartens was performed by one person not involved in the study, and the clinical examinations were carried out using the envelope method. Meals were prepared with fluoridated salt (250 mg F-/kg salt) in the intervention group but not in the control group. According to the inclusion criteria (complete primary dentition and informed consent from legal guardian), 441 children aged 3-5 years were enrolled. The children were examined by calibrated persons according to WHO criteria, allowing the calculation of d3mft scores. The primary end point was the mean difference in the incidence of caries cavities (Δd3/4mft) after 12 months. After 12 months, the mean caries incidence per person was 1.29 d3/4mf teeth (95% CI: 0.96; 1.62) in the test group (n = 304 children) and 3.83 d3/4mf teeth (95% CI: 2.94; 4.72) in the control group (n = 137 children). Thus, the caries-prevented fraction was 66.3%. No signs of harm due to the intervention were observed. The use of fluoridated salt in a communal feeding program and in an environment with negligible availability of fluoride from other sources yields a considerable caries-preventive effect.

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