TY - JOUR
T1 - Increasing physical activity in young primary school children-it's child's play
T2 - A cluster randomised controlled trial
AU - Engelen, Lina
AU - Bundy, Anita C.
AU - Naughton, Geraldine
AU - Simpson, Judy M.
AU - Bauman, Adrian
AU - Ragen, Jo
AU - Baur, Louise
AU - Wyver, Shirley
AU - Tranter, Paul
AU - Niehues, Anita
AU - Schiller, Wendy
AU - Perry, Gabrielle
AU - Jessup, Glenda
AU - van der Ploeg, Hidde P.
PY - 2013/5
Y1 - 2013/5
N2 - Objective: To explore the effects of an innovative school-based intervention for increasing physical activity. Methods: 226 children (5-7. years old) randomly selected from 12 Australian primary schools were recruited to a cluster randomised trial with schools randomly allocated to intervention or control conditions. The 13-week intervention comprised: (1) altering the school playground by introducing loose materials and (2) a teacher-parent intervention exploring perceptions of risk associated with children's free play. The primary outcomes were total accelerometer counts and moderate-vigorous physical activity during break times. Testing took place in Sydney, 2009-2010. Results: 221 participants were tested at baseline. Mixed-effect multilevel regression revealed a small but significant increase from the intervention on total counts (9400 counts, 95% CI 3.5. -. 15.2, p. =. 0.002) and minutes of MVPA (1.8. min, 95% CI 0.5-3.1, p. =. 0.006); and a decrease in sedentary activity (2.1. min, 95% CI 0.5-3.8, p. =. 0.01) during break times. We retested children in one intervention school after 2. years; they maintained the gains. Conclusions: Capturing children's intrinsic motivations to play while simultaneously helping adults reconsider views of free play as risky provided increases in physical activity during break times. Using accelerometry as the sole measure of physical activity may underestimate the effect.Trial registration: ACTRN12611000089932.
AB - Objective: To explore the effects of an innovative school-based intervention for increasing physical activity. Methods: 226 children (5-7. years old) randomly selected from 12 Australian primary schools were recruited to a cluster randomised trial with schools randomly allocated to intervention or control conditions. The 13-week intervention comprised: (1) altering the school playground by introducing loose materials and (2) a teacher-parent intervention exploring perceptions of risk associated with children's free play. The primary outcomes were total accelerometer counts and moderate-vigorous physical activity during break times. Testing took place in Sydney, 2009-2010. Results: 221 participants were tested at baseline. Mixed-effect multilevel regression revealed a small but significant increase from the intervention on total counts (9400 counts, 95% CI 3.5. -. 15.2, p. =. 0.002) and minutes of MVPA (1.8. min, 95% CI 0.5-3.1, p. =. 0.006); and a decrease in sedentary activity (2.1. min, 95% CI 0.5-3.8, p. =. 0.01) during break times. We retested children in one intervention school after 2. years; they maintained the gains. Conclusions: Capturing children's intrinsic motivations to play while simultaneously helping adults reconsider views of free play as risky provided increases in physical activity during break times. Using accelerometry as the sole measure of physical activity may underestimate the effect.Trial registration: ACTRN12611000089932.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84876704243&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.02.007
DO - 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.02.007
M3 - Article
C2 - 23462477
AN - SCOPUS:84876704243
SN - 0091-7435
VL - 56
SP - 319
EP - 325
JO - Preventive Medicine
JF - Preventive Medicine
IS - 5
ER -