The effect of a physical activity intervention on preschoolers' fundamental motor skills - A cluster RCT

Niko S Wasenius; Kimberly P Grattan; Alysha L J Harvey; Patti-Jean Naylor; Gary S Goldfield; Kristi B Adamo

doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2017.11.004

The effect of a physical activity intervention on preschoolers' fundamental motor skills - A cluster RCT

J Sci Med Sport. 2018 Jul;21(7):714-719. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2017.11.004. Epub 2017 Nov 11.

Authors

Niko S Wasenius¹, Kimberly P Grattan², Alysha L J Harvey², Patti-Jean Naylor³, Gary S Goldfield⁴, Kristi B Adamo⁵

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, 200 Lees Ave., Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; Folkhälsan Research Center, Biomedicum Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 8, PO Box 63, 00014, Helsinki, Finland.
² Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, 200 Lees Ave., Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
³ University of Victoria, School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada.
⁴ Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, 200 Lees Ave., Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) Research Group, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Rd., Ottawa, ON K1H 5B2, Canada.
⁵ Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, 200 Lees Ave., Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) Research Group, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Rd., Ottawa, ON K1H 5B2, Canada. Electronic address: kadamo@uottawa.ca.

PMID: 29150312
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2017.11.004

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the effect of a physical activity intervention delivered in the childcare centres (CC), with or without a parent-driven home physical activity component, on children's fundamental motor skills (FMS).

Design: Six-month 3-arm cluster randomized controlled trial.

Methods: Preschoolers were recruited from 18 licensed CC. CC were randomly assigned to a typical curriculum comparison group (COM), childcare intervention alone (CC), or childcare intervention with parental component (CC+HOME). FMS was measured with the Test of Gross Motor Development-2. Linear mixed models were performed at the level of the individual while accounting for clustering.

Results: Raw locomotor skills score increased significantly in the CC group (mean difference=2.5 units, 95% Confidence Intervals, CI, 1.0-4.1, p<0.001) and the CC+HOME group (mean difference=2.4 units, 95% CI, 0.8-4.0, p<0.001) compared to the COM group. No significant (p>0.05) between group differences were observed in the raw object control skills, sum of raw scores, or gross motor quotient. No significant sex differences were found in any of the measured outcomes.

Conclusions: A physical activity intervention delivered in childcare with or without parents' involvement was effective in increasing locomotor skills in preschoolers.

Keywords: Daycare; Locomotor activity; Motor skills; Movement; Object control skills; Psychomotor performance.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

Child Care
Child, Preschool
Curriculum
Exercise*
Female
Health Promotion
Humans
Male
Motor Skills*