title: Physical Activity Practices, Policies and Environments in Washington State Child Care Settings: Results of a Statewide Survey.
abstract: Objectives Child care is an important setting for the promotion of physical activity (PA) in early childhood. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between specific PA environments and recommended practices in child care settings as well as the degree to which child care settings met recommended standards for total PA time. Methods In 2013, all programs licensed to care for children ages 2-5 in WA state were surveyed about their PA related practices. Logistic regression was used to determine odds of meeting best-practice standards for outdoor time and PA. Results The response rate was 45.8 % from centers (692/1511) and 32.1 % from homes (1281/3991). Few programs reported meeting best-practice standards for the amount of time children spend being physically active (centers: 12.1 %, homes: 20.1 %) and outdoor time (centers: 21.8 %, homes: 21.7 %). Programs where children go outside regardless of weather and those reporting more adult-led PA had higher odds of meeting best-practice standards for both PA and outdoor time. Meeting best-practice standards for outdoor time was the strongest predictor of meeting best-practice standards for total PA time [centers: OR 15.9 (9.3-27.2), homes: OR 5.2 (3.8-7.1)]. Conclusions for Practice There is considerable room for improvement in licensed child care settings in WA to meet best-practice standards for young children's outdoor and PA time. Initiatives that create policies and environments encouraging outdoor play and adult-led PA in child care have the potential to increase physical activity in substantial numbers of young children.
authors.affiliation: Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, M/S CW8-6, P.O. Box 5371, Seattle, WA, 98145-5005, USA. pooja@uw.edu.|University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. pooja@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Pooja S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Tandon
authors.affiliation: Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, M/S CW8-6, P.O. Box 5371, Seattle, WA, 98145-5005, USA.|University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Kelly M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.affiliation: Washington State Department of Health, Olympia, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Bridget M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Igoe
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Donna B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D002656:Child Day Care Centers / Q000639:trends*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004777:Environment; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006291:Health Policy / Q000639:trends*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014861:Washington
keywords: Child care; Children; Physical activity; Policy; Preschool