Effect of a school-based active play intervention on sedentary time and physical activity in preschool children

Abstract Introduction An active play is designed to increase children’s physical activity levels and fundamental movement skills through outdoor play and is well-suited to the needs of children with intellectual disabilities. However, no active play interventions have included children with intellectual disabilities. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of a school-based active play intervention for children with intellectual disabilities. Method Children aged 7–12 years who had intellectual disabilities and were independently ambulatory were eligible. This single-group 17-week intervention was implemented in two additional support needs schools. It consisted of a weekly 1-h active play session incorporating 30 min of structured games and 30 min of free play. Feasibility of recruitment/retention, adherence, and outcome measures were investigated. Outcome measures included school-based physical activity (ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer), fundamental movement skills (Test of Gross Motor Development-2), and social interactions (Playground Observation of Peer Engagement). Staff feedback was collected via open-ended questionnaire. Feasibility was investigated using descriptive statistics and questionnaire data analyzed using thematic analysis. Potential pre-post changes were investigated for school-based physical activity, fundamental movement skills, and social interactions using paired samples t tests. The progression criteria were (1) > 50% of eligible participants recruited, (2) > 50% of recruited participants retained, (3) > 50% of active play sessions spent in MVPA, and (4) > 50% of participants complete outcome measurements. Results All progression criteria were met. Recruitment and retention rates were 100% (n=21 participants). Intervention adherence was high, based on data from n=1 school, with 90% of participants attending all sessions. Measuring physical activity using accelerometry and fundamental movement skills using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 were feasible. The Playground Observation of Peer Engagement tool to measure social interactions was not feasible. The only significant increase post-intervention was for social interactions during structured play (pre–post mean difference: –1.46, 95% CI −1.99, −0.93). Staff feedback was positive with the intervention well received by schools and potential benefits post-intervention identified by teachers. Conclusion The Go2Play Active Play intervention is feasible for children with intellectual disabilities. Future research should further investigate feasibility and implementation on a larger scale using a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial. Trial registration ISRCTN registry: ISRCTN10277566.

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Associations Between Anthropometric Indicators in Early Life and Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Physical Activity, and Sedentary Time in Adolescence

Journal of Physical Activity and Health ◽

10.1123/jpah.2019-0527 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (12) ◽

pp. 1213-1221

Author(s):

José Oliveira-Santos ◽

Rute Santos ◽

Carla Moreira ◽

Sandra Abreu ◽

Luís Lopes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Cardiorespiratory Fitness ◽

Early Life ◽

Sedentary Time ◽

Early Years ◽

Anthropometric Data ◽

School Based ◽

Run Test ◽

Shuttle Run

Background: To explore the associations between birth weight and body mass index (BMI) from 6 months to 6 years of age, with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), physical activity, and sedentary time in adolescence. Methods: Retrospective school-based study with 539 adolescents (292 girls), mean age of 13.94 (1.62) years. Anthropometric data from birth up to 6 years were extracted from individual child health booklets. CRF was estimated by 20-m shuttle run test. Physical activity and sedentary time were assessed with accelerometers. Results: Birth weight was not associated with any outcome measured in adolescence. From the age of 6 months onwards in girls, and from 3 years in boys, BMI associated inversely with CRF in adolescence. In girls, BMI (at 12 mo and at 3 y of age) associated positively with sedentary time in adolescence, but not with physical activity. In boys, positive associations between BMI at the ages of 3, 5, and 6 years old and time spent in some intensities of physical activity in adolescence were found. Conclusions: BMI during the early years was negatively associated with CRF in adolescence, in a consistent way, for both genders, but with physical activity and sedentary time the associations were scarce and inconsistent, depending on the gender.

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Intervention Strategies to Elicit MVPA in Preschoolers during Outdoor Play

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17020650 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 650 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Danielle D. Wadsworth ◽

Jerraco L. Johnson ◽

Alexandra V. Carroll ◽

Melissa M. Pangelinan ◽

Mary E. Rudisill ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Low Income ◽

Motor Skill ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Outdoor Play ◽

Play Intervention ◽

Group Assignment ◽

Head Start Center

Approximately 50% of preschoolers do not meet physical activity recommendations and children who reside in low-income rural communities may be further at risk for higher levels of sedentary behavior. Outdoor play is essential for preschool children; however, literature is unclear as to which types of interventions elicit moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for all preschoolers. The aim of this study was to determine which type of intervention, physical activity or fundamental motor skill focus, elicits MVPA during outdoor play. Ninety-eight preschool children (M age = 4.48 years) from one Head Start center participated in an outdoor play intervention two days per week for 7 weeks. Classes were randomly assigned to one of four groups: fundamental motor skill focus (FMS), physical activity focus (PA), FMS and PA (FMS + PA), and control. An accelerometer worn on the hip measured MVPA. Results showed that age, sex and group assignment contributed to MVPA at the beginning of the intervention and age, sex, group assignment and MVPA during the beginning of the intervention contributed to MVPA at the end of the intervention. Overall, the FMS + PA group elicited MVPA from males and females of all ages. Interventions that combine both FMS and PA may reduce physical activity disparities in preschool children.

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Temporal Associations of Nocturnal Sleep Duration with Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Preschool Children

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise ◽

10.1249/01.mss.0000561179.58337.f8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 51 (Supplement) ◽

pp. 223-224

Author(s):

Wendy Y. Huang ◽

Ka Ho Lai ◽

Ruirui Xing ◽

Stephen H.S. Wong

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Sleep Duration ◽

Sedentary Time ◽

Nocturnal Sleep

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School-Based Multicomponent Intervention to Promote Physical Activity and Reduce Sedentary Time of Disadvantaged Children Aged 6-10 Years: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

JMIR Research Protocols ◽

10.2196/17815 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. e17815

Author(s):

Caroline Maite Marie Bernal ◽

Lena Lhuisset ◽

Nicolas Fabre ◽

Julien Bois

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Academic Achievement ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Motor Skills ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Sedentary Time ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

School Based Intervention ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

School Based

Background In our modern society, physical activity (PA) is decreasing and sedentary time (ST) is increasing, especially for children from disadvantaged neighborhoods. School-based interventions to promote PA and decrease ST are therefore required among this population in order to change children’s lifestyle habits. Moreover, attentional capacities and academic achievement can be enhanced by chronic PA during childhood. The relationships between these variables have been poorly studied with this population. Objective The objective of this study is to present the rationale and methods for a randomized controlled trial among 6-10-year-old children with low socioeconomic status that will (1) evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based intervention designed to promote PA and reduce ST and (2) study the relationships between PA, ST, motor skills, attentional capacities, and academic achievement. Methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2 eligible primary schools. During academic year 2016-2017, 1 school was randomly assigned as the experiment one and the other was assigned as the control one. Five assessments times were used: baseline (T1 [November 2016] to T2 [June 2017]), follow-up (T3 [November 2017] to T4 [June 2018]), and final assessment (T5 [June 2019]). The school-based intervention included various components on different levels of the socioecological model: (1) curriculum-based program for children; (2) sensitization workshops and newsletters for parents; (3) training workshops for teachers; (4) environmental adaptation of playgrounds and reorganization of recess time; (5) time adaptation of lunch breaks; and (6) collaboration with political groups. PA, ST, motor skills, and attentional capacities were evaluated and academic achievement was recorded. Results The presented intervention and its different assessments have been successfully implemented. In order to achieve the 2 objectives of this randomized controlled trial, data analyses are about to be completed. Conclusions The implementation of this randomized controlled trial can help to determine effective strategies to promote PA in the context of increasing prevalence of physical inactivity among children with sedentary lifestyle which will be useful for researchers, stakeholders, and public policy makers. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03983447; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03983447 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR1-10.2196/17815

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