Active Play Intervention for Preschoolers

NCT ID: NCT05744791

Last Updated: 2023-03-06

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 50 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2021-08-14
• Study Completion Date: 2022-03-31

Brief Summary

The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to examine the effects of a planned movement in preschool-aged children. The main question is to determine

• What are the effects of a planned movement program on physical activity, body composition, fundamental motor skills, and time on task in preschool children aged 3-5 years?

Researchers will compare a planned movement program to a control group, where current instruction is implemented.

Detailed Description

A majority of preschool children do not participate in the recommended levels of physical activity and are deficient in fundamental motor skills. These deficits may also impact body composition. Preschool teachers serve as the gateway to providing physical activity opportunities at preschool but many fail to do so. As play is developmentally appropriate for preschools and part of many curriculums adding active elements to play may be a feasible solution for teachers to implement physical activity opportunities. This project will evaluate the effect of a planned movement program that incorporates elements of active play on preschoolers' body composition, physical activity, time on task, and fundamental motor skills at week 0, week 12, and week 24. Physical Activity will be assessed throughout the school year with a wrist-worn wearable accelerometer. Body composition will be assessed with a foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance scale. Fundamental motor skills will be assessed by the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales 2nd Edition and Time on-task will be measured by observing children in their classroom. The outcomes of this study will be used to implement sustainable physical activity programming for preschoolers.

Conditions

Exercise

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Active Play Intervention

Preschool teachers will be asked to implement two active play activities each preschool day, one indoors and one outdoors. This is in addition to the current outdoor free play of 30 minutes each day. Each activity is 10-15 minutes for a total of 20-30 minutes per day.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Active Play planned movement program

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Teachers will implement an addition two physical activity opportunities that incorporate active play each day for a potential dose of 20-30 minutes per day and 100-150 minutes per week.

Control

Preschool teachers will continue to implement their regular curriculum. This consists of one outdoor play opportunity for 30 minutes each day.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Active Play planned movement program

Teachers will implement an addition two physical activity opportunities that incorporate active play each day for a potential dose of 20-30 minutes per day and 100-150 minutes per week.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• 3 to 5 years of age
• attending one of the preschools 5 days a week.

Exclusion Criteria

• less than 3 years of age
• greater than 5 years of age at the beginning of the study
• attends the preschool 2 days or 3 days a week

• Minimum Eligible Age: 3 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 5 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Auburn University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Danielle D Wadsworth

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Auburn University

Auburn, Alabama, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

10-217 MR 1009

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id