Abstract
Objectives Child care is an important setting for the promotion of physical activity (PA) in early childhood. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between specific PA environments and recommended practices in child care settings as well as the degree to which child care settings met recommended standards for total PA time. Methods In 2013, all programs licensed to care for children ages 2–5 in WA state were surveyed about their PA related practices. Logistic regression was used to determine odds of meeting best-practice standards for outdoor time and PA. Results The response rate was 45.8 % from centers (692/1511) and 32.1 % from homes (1281/3991). Few programs reported meeting best-practice standards for the amount of time children spend being physically active (centers: 12.1 %, homes: 20.1 %) and outdoor time (centers: 21.8 %, homes: 21.7 %). Programs where children go outside regardless of weather and those reporting more adult-led PA had higher odds of meeting best-practice standards for both PA and outdoor time. Meeting best-practice standards for outdoor time was the strongest predictor of meeting best-practice standards for total PA time [centers: OR 15.9 (9.3–27.2), homes: OR 5.2 (3.8–7.1)]. Conclusions for Practice There is considerable room for improvement in licensed child care settings in WA to meet best-practice standards for young children’s outdoor and PA time. Initiatives that create policies and environments encouraging outdoor play and adult-led PA in child care have the potential to increase physical activity in substantial numbers of young children.
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Abbreviations
- PA:
-
Physical activity
- MVPA:
-
Moderate to vigorous physical activity
- FHCC:
-
Family home child care
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Wren Haaland for her help with data analysis and Dr. Brian Saelens for his review of an earlier version of the manuscript. We are also grateful to the participants who completed the survey. Survey development and implementation were supported in part by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded to the Washington State Department of Health (CDC DP13-1305: State Public Health Actions to Prevent and Control Diabetes, Heart Disease, Obesity and Associated Risk Factors and Promote School Health) and Public Health—Seattle and King County. Pooja Tandon’s time was supported by a Career Development Award from the NHLBI (K23 HL112950-01A1).
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The human subjects division at the University of Washington determined the survey procedures and study were exempt from IRB review.
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Tandon, P.S., Walters, K.M., Igoe, B.M. et al. Physical Activity Practices, Policies and Environments in Washington State Child Care Settings: Results of a Statewide Survey. Matern Child Health J 21, 571–582 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-016-2141-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-016-2141-7