An Exploratory Study of Daily Physical Activity and Nutrition Patterns in Early Learning Settings Institute for Child Success Research Symposium October 17, 2014 Columbia, South Carolina 1

2 Sedentary Routines in Early Learning Settings

DOLORES STEGELIN, PH. D. PROFESSOR CLEMSON UNIVERSITY IN COLLABORATION WITH JENNIFER WAGNER, ABD ASSISTANT PROFESSOR SOUTHERN WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY INVESTIGATORS 3

Audience Participation What is your professional role? Have you considered your own level of physical activity as a young child and in early learning settings? What opportunities do you have to observe young learners in various settings? Do you have a hypothesis or hunch about the level of Physical Activity that most young children engage in the typical U. S. settings? 4

Overview of the Research Project  College of Health, Education and Human Development Research Seed Grant  Goals of Main Research Project  Listen to the voices of 4-7 year olds about their nutrition and physical activity preferences and routines  Gather systematic data on early learning environments related to nutrition and physical activity  Complete in-depth observations on a subsample of 4-7 year olds to document daily routines in early learning settings related to nutrition and physical activity routines. 5

6   Population * 4-7 year olds in Head Start, 4K, primary and after school classrooms *Parents of the children *Teachers and directors of the programs *Focus on low-SES, Hispanic & African American

Hypothesis Children in typical early learning settings (Head Start, after-school, public school) will have healthy routines that engage them in high levels of physical activity both indoors and outdoors. 7

Pilot study and types of data gathered  Interviewed children and parents  Observed and gathered data on settings: health and educational measures  Completed in-depth observati ons on subset of children  This presentation focuses only on the subset study: snapshots of physical activity in varied learning settings 8

Description of the Observational Study Checklist was developed and utilized to look at: ◦ Outdoor and indoor contexts for large motor physical activities ◦ Observed in 30-minute blocks of time for approximately 6.5 hours ◦ Anecdotal notes recorded of behaviors observed  At conclusion of each 30-minute block, behaviors observed on qualitative measure were recorded 9

Participants-Subset  One Latino student (male age 5) in Head Start  Twp African American students (male age 6, female age 7) in after-school settings  One Latino male student age 8 in elementary school setting 10

Outdoor Contexts for Large Motor Activities ◦ Most of the activities engaged in were initiated by the child, not teacher directed ◦ Students in Head Start spent more time outside than students in other settings ◦ Activities included, in an unstructured, game-free environment:  Chasing  Climbing  Crawling  Hopping  Running  Sliding down the slide 11

Indoor Contexts for Motor Activities The only activity that all four students experienced was the inclusion of music (separate music class, singing/dancing, exercising) Other activities observed indoors included: ◦ Drawing (3 out of 4) ◦ Gross motor (i.e. shooting a basketball - after-school program) ◦ Reading books (3 out of 4) ◦ Socio-dramatic play (Head Start, elementary school) ◦ Working with manipulatives (3 out of 4) ◦ Writing (3 out of 4) 12

1. Detailed notes based on observation of 4 children (running records with a rating scale every 30 minutes) 2. Children were observed for the entire day or length of the daily program researchers independently analyzed and coded the data 4. Codes were compared for inter-rater reliability 5. Overarching themes developed based on agreed upon codes 13 MethodQualitative Analysis

Two Overarching Themes I. Physical Movement  Unstructured play  Structured play  Fidgeting II. Restriction of Activity 14

Restriction of Activity  Strict schedule  Physical activity not built into educational requirements  Waiting (for the next planned activity) 15

Results of the Quantitative Analysis Data suggest that the percentage of time students in the 4K and after-school program have to engage in teacher initiated direct physical activities is greater when compared to students in a typical elementary school setting 16

Results of the Quantitative Analysis…….. Data further suggest that the percentage of time students in an after-school program have to engage in child initiated direct physical activities is greater when compared to students in more structured settings, like Head Start 4K or elementary schools The student observed in a traditional elementary school was not observed participating in any direct physical activity while indoors 17

Indoor Teacher Initiated Direct Physical Activity 18

Indoor Child Initiated Direct Physical Activity 19

Recommendations Increased opportunity for PA at school and Head Start ◦ Leads to increased cognitive function/academic achievement (Davis et al., 2011; Tomporowski, Davis, Miller, & Naglieri, 2008) “ Action Schools” (Naylor, Macdonald, Zebedee, Reed, & Mackay, 2006)  Create individualized plans for increasing physical activity at schools 20

Recommendations “ Action Schools” ◦ Focus on 6 Action Zones (Naylor et al., 2006, p. 414)  School environment  Scheduled PE  Classroom action  Family and Community  Extra-curricular  School spirit 21

Recommendations….. Empirical support for efficacy of action school program (Naylor et al., 2006; Reed, Warburton, Macdonald, Naylor, & McKay, 2008) 22

Recommendations Build physical movement into lessons ◦ e.g., allow movement/dancing during music class Examine amount of unintended downtime ◦ e.g., time waiting between activities ◦ Leverage this time to build in extra physical activity opportunities 23

Summary & Question Answer Session Exploratory Study Limitations Need for large-scale studies of daily routines 24

Implications Professional Development needed on integration of physical activity School leadership needs to recognize the importance of PA in classrooms and scheduling 25

Specific Needs for Learning Environments Curriculum development needed that embeds more PA for children of all ages More embedded recess, physical activity and play Integrate nutrition and health concepts throughout the curriculum Engage parents in the planning and curriculum and encourage PA for families 26