Increasing physical activity in preschool: a pilot study to evaluate animal trackers

摘要

OBJECTIVE: This report describes a pilot study to evaluate Animal Trackers (AT), a preschool program designed to (1) increase structured physical activity (PA) during the preschool day; (2) increase practice of gross motor skills; (3) provide teachers with an easy-to-use PA program regardless of teacher experience; and (4) implement a teacher walking intervention. DESIGN: Pilot observational study in volunteer preschools. SETTING: Nine preschools in New Mexico. PARTICIPANTS: Two-hundred seventy 3- to 5-year-old children and 32 teachers. INTERVENTION: Daily 10-minute classroom activities for children. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Implementation and duration of AT activities, teacher preparation time, and added weekly time spent in structured PA. ANALYSIS: Process evaluation to track program implementation, and pre-post measures to assess outcomes. RESULTS: AT activities were implemented 4.1 times per week (11.4 minutes/activity), with 7 minutes teacher preparation time. Overall, AT added 47 minutes of structured PA per week for children. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The AT program increased structured PA time in preschools. Teachers felt that AT was developmentally appropriate; that children enjoyed the activities; and that the children's motor skills improved. Results of the pilot study are encouraging, since research suggests that even small increases in PA could help prevent obesity.