The Effect of a Nurse-Led, Child Health Coordinated Physical Activity Program on Physical Activity Levels in Preschool Children: A Non-randomized Study

The study group of the research consisted of 5-year-old students studying in kindergartens. The total number of students in kindergartens is 159 in the research area. Gpower 3.1.9.4 program was used to determine the sample size of the study. The sample size was determined as 42 ( 21 in the experimental and control groups) under a large effect size (0.80), an alpha value of 0.05 and a power level of 80%. It was decided to include a total of 52 students in the study by accepting a loss rate of approximately 20%.

Because it is known that it is important to promote physical activity at an early age, this study implemented interventions developed in accordance with the Coordinated Approach to Child Health Program, a program consisting of classroom, family, and student components. In the classroom component of the program, health education practices were prepared to teach children to identify, practice, and adapt physical activity habits to their lives through the classroom environment. In the family component of the program, there are interventions that ensure the participation of children, parents, and other family members to develop physical activity habits at home. Increasing physical activity in preschool children can be achieved by developing interventions that are fun and encourage children to be physically active in a structured classroom setting that promotes gross motor skills and moderate to vigorous physical activity during kindergarten and recess. In this study, a six-week program consisting of nurse, teacher, and family components developed in accordance with the Coordinated Approach to Child Health in Preschool Children program was implemented twice a week to evaluate its effects on physical activity in preschool children and its effectiveness in increasing physical activity.

The interventions averaged 60 minutes per week. Prior to implementation, school administrators and teachers were interviewed and informed about the purpose of the research and the implementation process. To inform parents and students about the research, the informed consent form and parent questionnaire were sent to parents in a sealed envelope and collected from students by teachers the next day. Informed consent was obtained by explaining the purpose and procedure of the study to the students whose parents had given their consent, and they were asked to complete the data collection instruments through the classroom teacher (pre-test). The post-test was administered 2 weeks after the completion of the study. The pre-test and post-test were administered by the teachers and the height-weight measurements were done by the nurse. No intervention was applied to the control group except for the physical activities they perform in their daily lives. Data collection instruments were administered to the control group in a similar manner and at the same time as the experimental group. The primary outcomes expected from the study are anthropometric measurements and physical activity levels. The research data was collected using the parent questionnaire developed by the researchers based on the literature and anthropometric measurements.