Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of a Childcare Provider-led Activity Intervention on Toddlers’ Physical Activity Levels: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study

ABSTRACT

Background

Toddlers spend a significant portion of their time within the childcare setting being sedentary. Therefore, interventions are needed to improve toddlers’ physical activity (PA) within this setting. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a 10-week activity program on toddlers’ time spent in total PA during the childcare day.

Methods

Childcare centers were randomized to either the Toddler Activity Pilot (TAP; centers, n = 2; children, n = 37) or the control (CON; center, n = 1; children, n = 13). The TAP intervention consisted of age and gross-motor appropriate PA intervention implemented for 10 min/day, four days/week for 10 weeks by providers and researchers during the late fall through winter. PA was assessed with accelerometers.

Results

There was a significant between groups linear change difference in light PA (γ11 = 31.47, SE = 15.02, p = 0.039) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA, γ11 = 9.34, SE = 4.28, p = 0.032). Compared to CON, the TAP group maintained their time spent in light PA (γssTAPchange = −5.57, SE = 7.57, p = 0.46) and in MVPA (γssTAPchange  = −0.69, SE = 2.16, p = 0.75), whereas the CON group decreased their PA levels.

Discussion

Intervention did not increase toddlers’ time spent in PA but does show promise in preventing the seasonal decline in PA that occurs during the winter months in children.

KEYWORDS:

• Accelerometer
• moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
• young children
• study fidelity

Acknowledgment

We thank all the participating childcare centers and Pediatric Physical Activity staff that made this study possible.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by Internal Funding from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Notes on contributors

Sofiya Alhassan

Dr. Sofiya Alhassan is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research focus is on community-based health behavior interventions in young children.

Luke Sudarsky

Luke Sudarsky is a Master's student in the Department of Kinesiology at University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Gaurav Dangol

Gaurav Dangol is an MPH student in the School of Public Health and a graduate student in Dr. Alhassan's lab in the Department of Kinesiology at University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Wanjiang Zhou

Wanjiang Zhou is a Master's student in the Department of Kinesiology at University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Althea Turley

Althea Turley is an undergraduate student in the School of Public Health and an undergraduate research student in Dr. Alhassan's lab in the Department of Kinesiology at University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Ann-Marie Sylvia

Ann-Marie Sylvia is a PhD student in the Department of Kinesiology at University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Holly Laws

Dr. Holly Laws is a research methodologist at Center for Research on Families at University of Massachusetts Amherst.