Grant: CIHR New Investigator

Physical activity (PA) is an important part of healthy childhood development. Typical Canadian preschoolers spend a great deal of time in daycare, environments which can have a very strong influence on their levels of daily movement. PA levels are low in these settings, with kids spending lots of time sitting. This project will test the ability of daycare providers to incorporate PA into the daily routine when they are provided with appropriate training and tools to do so. We will also look at whether engaging the parents and asking them to facilitate PA at home provides additional benefit. We will use what is called a randomized control design. This is a type of research study that 'randomly' (like flipping a coin) assigns people, or in this case, daycares, to one group or another. We are going to have 3 groups to compare. One group of daycare providers will be trained to increase all types of PA and reduce time spent sitting around. Another group of providers will have the same training but parents of kids in their care will also receive training on how to incorporate PA into their child's daily routine. The last group of daycares will offer their typical curriculum. Over the course of 6 months we will measure PA using a device called an accelerometer (a 'super' pedometer) and measure height and weight. We will also evaluate whether the intervention improved motor skills, which includes things like jumping, catching and throwing. At the end we will compare groups to see if one performed better than the others. We are intervening in preschoolers, because this is a group that is highly affected by the setting they are in and role models they interact with. This will be the first study in Canada attempting to modify PA behaviour in licensed daycare centres and looking at parental involvement. This is important because inactivity is highly predictive of development of chronic diseases like obesity and heart disease and prevention must start early.