Efficacy of a Physical Activity e-Learning Course Delivered to Early Childhood Educators on Preschoolers’ Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
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ParticipACTION, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Children’s Health Research Institute, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
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Purpose: This study examined the effectiveness of an early childhood educator (ECE)-focused physical activity e-Learning course on children’s physical activity and sedentary time in childcare. Methods: A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 12 childcare centers in London, Ontario, Canada. A total of 145 preschoolers and 42 ECEs participated in this study. ECEs in the intervention condition completed a 5-hour e-Learning course related to physical activity. Outcomes were preschoolers’ minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, light-intensity physical activity, and sedentary time assessed using accelerometers. Results: The intervention did not have a significant effect on moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (d < 0.01, P = .984), light-intensity physical activity (d = −0.17, P = .386), or sedentary time (d = 0.07, P = .717) from baseline to postintervention. There was also no significant intervention effect on moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (d = 0.27, P = .260), light-intensity physical activity (d = −0.08, P = .740), or sedentary time (d = −0.15, P = .520) from baseline to follow-up. Conclusions: Providing ECEs with online training in physical activity through an e-Learning course may not be sufficient to increase physical activity levels among young children in their care. It may be essential to deliver multicomponent interventions to increase preschoolers’ engagement in physical activity in childcare.
Bourke is now at the Health and Wellbeing Centre for Research Instantiation, School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Bourke https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7088-4516
Bruijns https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0110-1674
Saravanamuttoo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8700-5386
Vanderloo https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4621-3717
Tucker (ttucker2@uwo.ca) is corresponding author, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8392-9418
There is limited evidence of the efficacy of physical activity-related e-Learning courses for early childhood educators on children’s physical activity while in care.
The e-Learning course was not efficacious compared with a control condition at increasing children’s engagement in physical activity while at childcare.
More intensive capacity building interventions which target both early childhood educators and their organizations may be required to increase children’s engagement in physical activity while in childcare.
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