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Published on: March 7, 2019
Early Intervention to Encourage Physical Activity in Infants and Toddlers: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Chris Moir1, Kim Meredith-Jones, Barry J Taylor
11Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Otago, Dunedin, NEW ZEALAND; 2Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, NEW ZEALAND; 3Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, NEW ZEALAND; and 4Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, Dunedin, NEW ZEALAND.
Insights
A physical activity intervention for infants and toddlers showed no significant impact on children's activity levels at two years old. This early life program aimed to increase movement and reduce sedentary behavior but yielded minimal results.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Infants and toddlers are a demographic with few physical activity interventions despite concerns about insufficient activity levels.
- Early childhood physical activity is crucial for long-term health and obesity prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of an early life physical activity intervention on infants and toddlers.
- To assess the impact of encouraging parent-child physical activity and reducing sedentary time.
Main Methods:
- A randomized trial involving 802 pregnant women, randomized to an intervention or control group.
- Intervention included antenatal information and active group sessions at 3, 9, and 18 months.
- Objective physical activity measurement using accelerometers at 24 months of age.
Main Results:
- High attendance at early intervention sessions, declining by 18 months.
- No significant intervention differences in prone play, restraint use, or parental activity.
- At 2 years, no group differences in sedentary time or light-to-vigorous physical activity were observed.
Conclusions:
- An early life intervention targeting physical activity in children and parents had minimal effect on activity levels at age two.
- The findings suggest limitations in the intervention's ability to modify physical activity behaviors in this age group.
- Further research is needed to identify effective strategies for promoting physical activity in early childhood.
Introduction:
Few physical activity interventions have been undertaken in infants and toddlers, despite concerns that they are insufficiently active. The Prevention of Overweight in Infancy trial encouraged parents to be physically active with their child from birth, including prone-based play ("tummy time"), while reducing time spent restrained in car seats and "strollers."
Methods:
A total of 802 women, recruited in late pregnancy, were randomized to a physical activity intervention, which provided information antenatally, and active group sessions with their infant at 3, 9, and 18 months of age. Questionnaires were completed at multiple time points, and toddlers wore Actical accelerometers for 5 d at 24 months of age.
Results:
Attendance at intervention sessions was high in infancy but declined by 18 months to 66%. Almost all parents placed their infant prone to play at least once a day (90%-95%, overall median 25 min·d), with no intervention differences observed (P = 0.445 and P = 0.350 at 4 and 6 months, respectively). Few differences were observed in other measures of restraint or parental activity at any time point. At 2 yr, children spent approximately 8 h·d in sedentary time while awake and 3.6 h in light-to-vigorous activity. However, no group differences were apparent in counts per minute (P = 0.759) or time in light-to-vigorous activity (P = 0.960).
Conclusion:
An early life intervention targeting improvements in child and parent physical activity as part of a wider obesity prevention initiative had little effect on physical activity at 2 yr of age.
