A Web-Based Risk-Reframing Intervention to Influence Early Childhood Educators’ Attitudes and Supportive Behaviors Toward Outdoor Play: Protocol for the OutsidePlay Study Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Early learning and childcare centers (ELCCs) can offer young children critical opportunities for quality outdoor play. There are multiple actual and perceived barriers to outdoor play at ELCCs, ranging from safety fears and lack of familiarity with supporting play outdoors to challenges around diverse perspectives on outdoor play among early childhood educators (ECEs), administrators, licensing officers, and parents. OBJECTIVE: Our study objective is to develop and evaluate a web-based intervention that influences ECEs’ and ELCC administrators’ perceptions and practices in support of children’s outdoor play at ELCCs. METHODS: The development of the fully automated, open-access, web-based intervention was guided by the intervention mapping process. We first completed a needs assessment through focus groups of ECEs, ELCC administrators, and licensing officers. We identified key issues, needs, and challenges; opportunities to influence behavior change; and intervention outcomes and objectives. This enabled us to develop design objectives and identify features of the OutsidePlay web-based intervention that are central to addressing the issues, needs, and challenges of ECEs and ELCC administrators. We used social cognitive theory and behavior change techniques to select methods, applications, and technology to deliver the intervention. We will use a two-parallel-group randomized controlled trial (RCT) design to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. We will recruit 324 ECEs and ELCC administrators through a variety of web-based means, including Facebook advertisements and mass emails through our partner networks. The RCT study will be a purely web-based trial where outcomes will be self-assessed through questionnaires. The RCT participants will be randomized into the intervention group or the control group. The control group participants will read the Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play. RESULTS: The primary outcome is increased tolerance of risk in children’s play, as measured by the Teacher Tolerance of Risk in Play Scale. The secondary outcome is self-reported attainment of a self-developed behavior change goal. We will use mixed effects models to test the hypothesis that there will be a difference between the intervention and control groups with respect to tolerance of risk in children’s play. Differences in goal attainment will be tested using logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The OutsidePlay web-based intervention guides users through a personalized journey that is split into 3 chapters. An effective intervention that addresses the barriers to outdoor play in ELCC settings has the potential to improve children’s access to outdoor play and support high-quality early childhood education. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04624932; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04624932 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/31041