Early Years Physical Activity and Movement Skills Intervention: a Feasibility Study

NCT04868084 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: Early years physical activity
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 43
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This project aims to test the feasibility of using an existing training course for nursery practitioners (those that care for children aged under 5 years) to improve their ability and confidence to teach fundamental movement skills to the children they care for. 'Fundamental movement skills', or FMS, are based on agility, balance and coordination, and include jumping, throwing, catching, striking and running and are vital for children's involvement in, and enjoyment from, physical activities and sports. The intervention consists of a one-day course given by specialist providers, specifically for those who work with children under 5. The intervention aims to increase practitioner knowledge and awareness, and increase confidence in their ability to provide age-appropriate guidance and settings for FMS and active play. The implication from the training is that the children's FMS and overall physical activity will increase, whilst decreasing time spent in sedentary behaviours. A long-term aim of the project would be the maintenance of a healthy weight by the children and increase in self-efficacy for physical activity. The benefits of the study, therefore, are an increase in practitioner confidence and knowledge, and a positive change in their behaviour during their everyday practice. As this is a feasibility study, the main objective is whether a full trial would be feasible. The primary outcomes are therefore 1. Recruitment (ratio of consented participants to potentially eligible participants approached) 2. Numbers completing study 3. Numbers completing study questionnaires 4. Acceptability of the intervention to participants.

Conditions

Child Obesity; Activity, Motor; Physical Activity

Keywords

Practitioner; Fundamental movement skills; Educational training; Early years; Preschool

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in fundamental motor skills (FMS)

  FMS, assessed with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 which covers fine and gross motor tasks, manual dexterity and balance. Standard scores are translated to reference percentiles. Low percentiles indicate movement difficulties.

  Baseline and 6 months post-intervention

• Change in children's physical activity

  Children's physical activity was measured directly using a thigh-mounted accelerometer (ActivPAL) for 7 days

  Baseline and 6 months post-intervention

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Change in body mass index z-score

  Baseline and 6 months post-intervention

• Change in practitioner behaviour

  Baseline and 6 months post-intervention

• Change in knowledge of the physical activity guidelines

  Baseline and 6 months post-intervention

• Change in intentions for behaviour change

  Baseline and 6 months post-intervention

Study Arms (2)

Intervention group

EXPERIMENTAL

Physical Literacy in the early years. The intervention was delivered by an external provider and designed to provide nursery teachers, teaching assistants and others working with children under age five the knowledge, skills and confidence to deliver enjoyable and engaging lessons which focus on the development of core "fundamental" skills. The course was developed in conjunction with leading Physical Education (PE) consultants, Sports Scientists and Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) advisors which covered both the theory about FMS and physical literacy, and practical demonstrations of age-appropriate ways to teach and develop FMS. Staff from the Intervention settings received the six-hour training session. After the training session, school nurseries which were encouraged to speak with the training provider to follow-up the understanding of the training and provide additional help for implementation of the practice learned.

Behavioral: Physical literacy in the early years

Control

NO INTERVENTION

The control nurseries followed their usual practice.

Interventions

Physical literacy in the early years BEHAVIORAL

Intervention nurseries received a 6-hour training session, covering the theory about FMS and practical demonstrations of age-appropriate ways to teach and develop FMS.

Intervention group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 3 Years - 4 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Children who are 3 to 4 years old at the time of data collection.
• Children who received parent/guardian consent.
• Children who provided assent to take part in the study.

You may not qualify if:

• None

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Newcastle University: lead
• University of Huddersfield: collaborator
• Teesside University: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Newcastle University

Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom

Location

Related Links

• Huijg JM, Gebhardt WA, Crone MR, Dusseldorp E, Presseau J. Discriminant content validity of a theoretical domains framework questionnaire for use in implementation research. Implement Sci. 2014 Jan 15;9:11.
• Cole TJ, Freeman JV, Preece MA. Body mass index reference curves for the UK, 1990. Arch Dis Child. 1995 Jul;73(1):25-9
• Henderson SE, Sugden DA, Barnett AL. Movement assessment battery for children-2. Second edition (Movement ABC-2). London: The Psychological Corporation; 2007
• Dockrell, J. (2012). Developing a communication supporting classrooms observation tool.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Pediatric Obesity; Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Obesity; Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• Laura Basterfield, PhD

  Newcastle University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Non-randomised before and after pilot feasibility study

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 15, 2021
• First Posted: April 30, 2021
• Study Start: March 2, 2017
• Primary Completion: June 13, 2018
• Study Completion: January 31, 2019
• Last Updated: April 30, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

GB (1)