The Integration of a Data Sharing Process to Address Out-of-School Time Physical Activity, Locomotor Skills, and...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Exercise Science
• Child Development

Background:

• Children frequently do not meet recommended physical activity (PA) guidelines, necessitating novel interventions.
• Motor competence is linked to PA and fitness in children, presenting a potential target for increasing activity levels.
• Out-of-school time (OST) programs offer opportunities for additional PA, but staff often lack training in creating active environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a data sharing process with OST program leaders.
• To assess the impact of data sharing on leader PA-promoting practices, child PA minutes, and locomotor skills.

Main Methods:

• A data sharing intervention was implemented in an OST program across 5 sites with 45 children.
• Baseline data collected included child PA (accelerometers), locomotor skills (TGMD-3), and staff PA-promoting behaviors (observations).
• Program leaders received real-time data sharing feedback.

Main Results:

• Staff PA-promoting behaviors significantly increased following the data sharing intervention.
• Boys demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in locomotor skills from baseline.
• No significant increase in moderate-to-vigorous PA minutes was observed during program hours.

Conclusions:

• Data sharing is a promising strategy for enhancing OST staff's PA-promoting behaviors.
• The intervention shows potential for improving child locomotor skills, particularly in boys.
• Further research is needed to increase overall child PA minutes within OST settings.