Childcare Center Characteristics Moderate the Effects of a Physical Activity Intervention

Ruth P. Saunders, Marsha Dowda, Karin A. Pfeiffer, William H. Brown and Russell R. Pate
Additional contact information
Ruth P. Saunders: Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Public Health Research Center, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Suite 212, Columbia, SC 29201, USA
Marsha Dowda: Department of Exercise Science, Public Health Research Center, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Suite 212, Columbia, SC 29201, USA
Karin A. Pfeiffer: Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University, 308 West Circle Drive, 27R Intramural Rec Sports-Circle, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
William H. Brown: Educational Studies, Wardlaw College, University of South Carolina, 820 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
Russell R. Pate: Department of Exercise Science, Public Health Research Center, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Suite 212, Columbia, SC 29201, USA

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 17, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Center-based early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs are well-positioned to create positive impacts on the health and development of large numbers of young children by promoting physical activity using evidence-based programs. Studies testing physical activity programs for young children should examine the circumstances under which programs are most effective by assessing the role of contextual factors on program outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating effects of baseline ECEC center characteristics on the relationship between the Study of Health and Activity in Preschool Environments (SHAPES) intervention and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). MVPA was assessed via accelerometry; center characteristics, practices, and social and physical environments were assessed by director interview and observation; and center quality was assessed using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised Edition. Mixed-model analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) examined intervention effects on MVPA during the school day; interactions between baseline center variables and group assignment (intervention vs. control) tested for moderation. Two center instructional practices, two social environment characteristics, and one physical environment characteristic at baseline moderated the effects of SHAPES on MVPA outcomes. Assessing baseline practices and center characteristics may aid efforts to match centers with interventions likely to increase physical activity as well as suggest additional intervention strategies to test.

Keywords: early childhood education and care; preschool; physical activity; intervention studies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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