Wellness Enhancing Physical Activity for Young Children

NCT03692702 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: WEPLAY
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 82
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Wellness Enhancing Physical Activity for Young Children (WE PLAY) is a teacher training that is based online and was designed to support early childhood educators' efforts to promote physical activity (PA) through structured and unstructured active play with preschoolers. WE PLAY includes six components: (1) online training; (2) video library; (3) game sheets; (4) teacher self-assessment; (5) supervisor support; and (6) activity packs that are designed to work synergistically. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of WE PLAY on children's levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during school hours. We hypothesized that children whose teachers received WE PLAY would have higher levels of MVPA during school hours at post-intervention relative to pre-intervention and relative to children whose teachers did not receive WE PLAY. A second purpose was to examine the impact of WE PLAY on teacher outcomes (i.e., knowledge, intentions, perceived behavior control, subjective norms, perceived power beliefs, normative beliefs, and moral norms). We hypothesized that teachers who participated in WE PLAY would demonstrate higher scores on each of these variables at post-intervention relative to pre-intervention and to teachers in the control group. A cluster randomized controlled trial was used in this study. Six Head Start preschools were pair matched and randomized to the intervention (WE PLAY) or control groups. Preschool children (N=57) and their teachers (N=25) participated. Child MVPA was measured using accelerometers for 5-day periods at pre- and post-intervention. Teacher variables were measured using online surveys.

Conditions

Physical Activity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) per minute in children

  We measured child PA using ActiGraph GT9X Link monitors for 24-hour periods across five days at both pre-intervention and post-intervention

  Pre-intervention was in week 1 and post-intervention was in week 4

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Change in teacher knowledge

  Pre-intervention (week 1; both groups). The WE PLAY group's knowledge was assessed again immediately following the online training (week 2). The control group's knowledge was measured a second time at the post-intervention assessment (week 4).

• Change in perceived behavioral control

  Pre-intervention (week 1) and post-intervention (week 4)

• Change in subjective norms

  Pre-intervention (week 1) and post-intervention (week 4)

• Change in moral norms

  Pre-intervention (week 1) and post-intervention (week 4)

• Change in normative beliefs

  Pre-intervention (week 1) and post-intervention (week 4)

Study Arms (2)

WE PLAY

EXPERIMENTAL

Teachers in this condition received the WE PLAY training.

Behavioral: WE PLAY

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Preschools in this condition received the same physical activity equipment that preschools in the WE PLAY condition received. Teachers were not provided with any specific instructions or information about physical activity.

Interventions

WE PLAY BEHAVIORAL

WE PLAY is an online preschool teacher training that is based in theory and implementation science. It contains six components: (1) online training; (2) video library; (3) game sheets; (4) teacher self-assessment; (5) supervisor support; and (6) activity packs containing low cost physical activity equipment

WE PLAY

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 3 Years - 5 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• All teachers at the participating programs, and all children within the participating teachers' classrooms, were eligible to participate in this study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Northeastern University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Jessica A Hoffman, PhD

  Northeastern University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 28, 2018
• First Posted: October 2, 2018
• Study Start: October 30, 2017
• Primary Completion: May 4, 2018
• Study Completion: July 18, 2018
• Last Updated: October 3, 2018

Record last verified: 2018-10

Locations

US (1)