A comparison of parent and childcare provider's attitudes and perceptions about preschoolers' physical activity and outdoor time.
P S Tandon, B E Saelens, K A Copeland
PMID 27891655WHAT IT FOUND
Child-care providers valued outdoor play more than parents did, and parents worried more about germs.
Children were mostly sedentary everywhere, but moved more at child care than at home. Parental attitudes rarely predicted children's actual activity levels.
Key findings
01Child-care providers rated the importance of daily outdoor time significantly higher than parents did, and more parents than providers believed playing outside in the cold would make children sick.
02Children spent the majority of their waking hours sedentary in both settings, but accumulated more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and less sedentary time per hour at child care than at home.
03Most parental perceptions about physical activity and outdoor play were not significantly associated with children's measured activity levels at home or in total.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study sampled only one geographic region (Hamilton County, Ohio), which limits generalizability to other areas. Physical activity was measured using only one day of accelerometer data, which is considered inadequate for determining typical long-term activity patterns. Self-reported importance of physical activity by both parents and providers may be inflated due to social desirability bias. The study was observational, so it cannot determine if changing parental attitudes would actually increase children's activity levels.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that parental attitudes are irrelevant to children's health. The lack of association between attitudes and measured activity may be because children spend the majority of their waking hours in care, limiting parents' opportunity to directly influence daily movement during the week.