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Activating Childcare Environments for All Children: the Importance of Children’s Individual Needs

Characteristics of the physical childcare environment are associated with children’s sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) levels. This study examines whether these associations are moderated by child characteristics. A total of 152 1- to 3-year-old children from 22 Dutch childcare cent...

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Autores principales: Gubbels, Jessica S., Van Kann, Dave H. H., Cardon, Greet, Kremers, Stef P. J.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2018
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6069277/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29970831
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15071400
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author Gubbels, Jessica S.
Van Kann, Dave H. H.
Cardon, Greet
Kremers, Stef P. J.
author_facet Gubbels, Jessica S.
Van Kann, Dave H. H.
Cardon, Greet
Kremers, Stef P. J.
author_sort Gubbels, Jessica S.
collection PubMed
description Characteristics of the physical childcare environment are associated with children’s sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) levels. This study examines whether these associations are moderated by child characteristics. A total of 152 1- to 3-year-old children from 22 Dutch childcare centers participated in the study. Trained research assistants observed the physical childcare environment, using the Environment and Policy Assessment Observation (EPAO) protocol. Child characteristics (age, gender, temperament and weight status) were assessed using parental questionnaires. Child SB and PA was assessed using Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers. Linear regression analyses including interaction terms were used to examine moderation of associations between the childcare environment and child SB and PA. Natural elements and portable outdoor equipment were associated with less SB and more PA. In addition, older children, boys and heavier children were less sedentary and more active, while more use of childcare and an anxious temperament were associated with more SB. There were various interactions between environmental factors and child characteristics. Specific physical elements (e.g., natural elements) were especially beneficial for vulnerable children (i.e., anxious, overactive, depressive/withdrawn, overweight). The current study shows the importance of the physical childcare environment in lowering SB and promoting PA in very young children in general, and vulnerable children specifically. Moderation by child characteristics shows the urgency of shaping childcare centers that promote PA in all children, increasing equity in PA promotion in childcare.
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spelling pubmed-60692772018-08-07 Activating Childcare Environments for All Children: the Importance of Children’s Individual Needs Gubbels, Jessica S. Van Kann, Dave H. H. Cardon, Greet Kremers, Stef P. J. Int J Environ Res Public Health Article Characteristics of the physical childcare environment are associated with children’s sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) levels. This study examines whether these associations are moderated by child characteristics. A total of 152 1- to 3-year-old children from 22 Dutch childcare centers participated in the study. Trained research assistants observed the physical childcare environment, using the Environment and Policy Assessment Observation (EPAO) protocol. Child characteristics (age, gender, temperament and weight status) were assessed using parental questionnaires. Child SB and PA was assessed using Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers. Linear regression analyses including interaction terms were used to examine moderation of associations between the childcare environment and child SB and PA. Natural elements and portable outdoor equipment were associated with less SB and more PA. In addition, older children, boys and heavier children were less sedentary and more active, while more use of childcare and an anxious temperament were associated with more SB. There were various interactions between environmental factors and child characteristics. Specific physical elements (e.g., natural elements) were especially beneficial for vulnerable children (i.e., anxious, overactive, depressive/withdrawn, overweight). The current study shows the importance of the physical childcare environment in lowering SB and promoting PA in very young children in general, and vulnerable children specifically. Moderation by child characteristics shows the urgency of shaping childcare centers that promote PA in all children, increasing equity in PA promotion in childcare. MDPI 2018-07-03 2018-07 /pmc/articles/PMC6069277/ /pubmed/29970831 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15071400 Text en © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Gubbels, Jessica S.
Van Kann, Dave H. H.
Cardon, Greet
Kremers, Stef P. J.
Activating Childcare Environments for All Children: the Importance of Children’s Individual Needs
title Activating Childcare Environments for All Children: the Importance of Children’s Individual Needs
title_full Activating Childcare Environments for All Children: the Importance of Children’s Individual Needs
title_fullStr Activating Childcare Environments for All Children: the Importance of Children’s Individual Needs
title_full_unstemmed Activating Childcare Environments for All Children: the Importance of Children’s Individual Needs
title_short Activating Childcare Environments for All Children: the Importance of Children’s Individual Needs
title_sort activating childcare environments for all children: the importance of children’s individual needs
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6069277/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29970831
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15071400
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