Evaluation of an evidence-informed physical activity policy for early childhood education and care (ECEC) services in Western Australia.

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Physical inactivity; Public Health - Health promotion/education

• Registration Number: ACTRN12620001206910
• Lead Sponsor: Associate Professor Hayley Christian

Brief Summary

This study examined the effectiveness of the Play Active intervention on changes in educator-reported daily time provided for children to be physically active at ECEC. The uptake of the policy practices by directors and educators (implementation outcomes), and the fidelity, reach, awareness, and acceptability of Play Active (process outcomes) were also examined. Play Active was developed to be a low-cost, feasible, acceptable, and high-fidelity program. The central component of Play Active was a four-page editable evidence-informed physical activity policy template which was emailed to intervention ECEC service directors after they completed baseline data collection. The policy template included two overarching key statements and nine age-specific recommendations on the amount of physical activity and sedentary time (including screen time), for young children whilst in ECEC. To support achieving these recommendations, the policy template also included 25 physical activity-related practices. Educator-reported time for children’s daily physical activity did not change. However, there was an increase in director-reported uptake of physical activity policy practices. The Play Active intervention had high fidelity of implementation support, excellent reach for four of the six implementation support strategies, and high acceptability and awareness

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Results First Posted: 1900-01-01
• Study Start: 2020-11-13
• Study Completion: 2022-03-17
• Last Update Posted: 3 October 2023

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 675

Inclusion Criteria

All long-day ECEC services located in the Perth metropolitan area of WA are eligible for inclusion.

Within each ECEC service, all permanent part- and full-time staff educators are eligible for participation in the study.

Within each ECEC service, all attending children aged 1-5 years who have not yet commenced formal schooling (pre-primary) will be eligible for participation in the study with parental consent.

Exclusion Criteria

Long-day ECEC services catering exclusively for children requiring specialist care, mobile preschools, and Department of Education and Communities preschools will be ineligible for the study. ECEC services that have had a significant change in management within the last three months or expect a change in management the next three months will also be excluded. ECEC services already involved in an alternative randomised controlled trial currently underway in Perth, Western Australia will be excluded.

Within each ECEC service, casually employed staff educators are ineligible for participation in the study.

Exclusion criteria for attending children are a recognized disability (physical, emotional/behavioural or intellectual) that would affect participation in physical activity, and attendance of full-time formal schooling which would prohibit whole days spent in ECEC.

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified