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Physical activity levels in family child care homes
Shannon L Delaney1, Pablo Monsivais, Donna B Johnson
1Nutritional Sciences Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
Insights
Children in family child care homes spend little time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). This study highlights the need for strategies to increase children's physical activity in these settings.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Child Development
- Public Health
Background:
- Licensed family child care homes serve over 1 million US children annually.
- Limited data exists on children's physical activity levels within these settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the physical activity patterns of children attending licensed family child care homes.
- To establish baseline data on sedentary behavior and physical activity in this environment.
Main Methods:
- 31 licensed family child care homes in Washington State participated.
- 144 children aged 3–6 years wore accelerometers for 5 days during child care.
- Provider practices and home characteristics were assessed via standardized questionnaires.
Main Results:
- Children spent an average of 34.3 minutes per hour in sedentary activity.
- Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) averaged 8.8 minutes per hour.
- Vigorous physical activity (VPA) averaged 3.1 minutes per hour.
Conclusions:
- Findings indicate low levels of MVPA and VPA in many family child care homes.
- Further research is needed to develop effective policy and practice recommendations.
- Interventions are necessary to promote increased physical activity for children in child care.
Background:
Although more than 1 million US children attend licensed family child care homes, little is known about children's physical activity in this setting. The purpose of this study is to describe the physical activity of children cared for in child care homes.
Methods:
The study sample included 31 licensed family child care homes in Washington State. Children aged 3 to 6 wore accelerometers while in child care over 5 days. Minutes per hour spent at 4 activity levels were calculated and averaged for all children in the home. Contextual factors such as provider practices, staff training, and home characteristics were assessed using standardized questions.
Results:
Accelerometer data from 144 children were included, with 2 to 11 children monitored per home. The mean minutes of sedentary activity per hour (min/h) was 34.3 (SD = 4.6, range 27.7 to 46.6). For moderate-to-vigorous activity (MVPA) it was 8.8 min/h (SD = 2.6, range 3.6 to 14.1) and for vigorous physical (VPA) activity it was 3.1 min/h (SD = 1.4, range: 0.9 to 7.0).
Conclusions:
The low levels of MVPA and VPA in many homes reinforces the need for additional research to identify policy and practice recommendations that will be most effective in increasing physical activity in this setting.
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