Child Care Center Characteristics Associated With Preschoolers' Physical Activity

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Child Development
• Public Health Interventions

Background:

• Preschoolers spend significant time in child care settings.
• Understanding factors influencing physical activity in child care is crucial for health.
• Current knowledge gaps exist regarding center characteristics and children's physical activity levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate associations between child care center characteristics and preschoolers' moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA).
• To examine MVPA levels both within the child care center and over a 24-hour period.
• To identify specific center policies, facilities, or practices linked to increased physical activity.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-model ANOVA was used to analyze data from 388 preschoolers across 30 randomly selected child care centers.
• Accelerometers measured time spent in MVPA.
• Twenty-three center characteristics were assessed, including policies, facilities, and staff training.

Main Results:

• Scheduled outdoor time frequently exceeded actual outdoor time provided to children.
• Children receiving ≥60 minutes of outdoor time exhibited significantly higher MVPA both in child care and over 24 hours.
• Center features like indoor play spaces, playground size, equipment, staff training, and weather policies did not correlate with MVPA.

Conclusions:

• Child care centers should prioritize adherence to scheduled outdoor time to boost physical activity.
• Increasing daily outdoor time to at least 60 minutes is a viable strategy to enhance preschoolers' MVPA.
• Current center policies and facilities, excluding outdoor access, show limited impact on children's activity levels.