title: A randomised controlled trial of an active telephone-based recruitment strategy to increase childcare-service staff attendance at a physical activity and nutrition training workshop.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Centre-based childcare services represent a promising setting to target the prevention of excessive weight gain in preschool-aged children. Staff training is a key component of multi-strategy interventions to improve implementation of effective physical activity and nutrition promoting practices for obesity prevention in childcare services. This randomised controlled trial aimed to examine whether an active telephone-based strategy to invite childcare-service staff to attend a training workshop was effective in increasing the proportion of services with staff attending training, compared with a passive strategy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Services were randomised to an active telephone-based or a passive-recruitment strategy. Those in the active arm received an email invitation and one to three follow-up phone calls, whereas services in the passive arm were informed of the availability of training only via newsletters. The proportion of services with staff attending the training workshop was compared between the two arms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and twenty-eight services were included in this study. A significantly larger proportion (52%) of services in the active arm compared with those in the passive-strategy arm (3.1%) attended training (d.f.=1, χ2=34.3; P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An active, telephone-based recruitment strategy significantly increased the proportion of childcare services with staff attending training. Further strategies to improve staff attendance at training need to be identified and implemented. SO WHAT?: Active-recruitment strategies including follow-up telephone calls should be utilised to invite staff to participate in training, in order to maximise the use of training as an implementation strategy for obesity prevention in childcare services.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
authors.forename: Sze Lin
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Yoong
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
authors.forename: Luke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wolfenden
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Finch
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
authors.forename: Pennie
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dodds
authors.affiliation: Hunter New England Population Health, Hunter New England Health District, Booth Building, Longworth Avenue, Wallsend, NSW 2287, Australia.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gillham
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wyse
mesh_terms: D057191:Capacity Building / Q000379:methods; D002656:Child Day Care Centers / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D053198:Child Nutrition Sciences / Q000193:education*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009517:New South Wales; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018579:Patient Selection; D013192:Staff Development / Q000379:methods; D013689:Telephone; D000078329:Workforce