Promoting Fundamental movement skill development and physical activity in early childhood settings : a cluster randomized controlled trial

The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability and potential efficacy of a physical activity program for preschool children. A 20-week, 2-arm parallel cluster randomized controlled pilot trial was conducted. The intervention comprised structured activities for children and professional development for staff. The control group participated in usual care activities, which included designated inside and outside playtime. Primary outcomes were movement skill development and objectively measured physical activity. At follow-up, compared with children in the control group, children in the intervention group showed greater improvements in movement skill proficiency, with this improvement statically significant for overall movement skill development (adjust diff. = 2.08, 95% CI 0.76, 3.40; Cohen’s d = 0.47) and significantly greater increases in objectively measured physical activity (counts per minute) during the preschool day (adjust diff. = 110.5, 95% CI 33.6, 187.3; Cohen’s d = 0.46). This study demonstrates that a physical activity program implemented by staff within a preschool setting is feasible, acceptable and potentially efficacious.

Early childhood educators : some identified issues in professional learning in science

In a small research project, four case studies were developed around the science education of pre-school centres. Mixed quantitative and qualitative approaches were used as the pre-school teachers were asked information about their qualifications and those of other staff; science experiences within their Early Childhood (EC) setting and the opportunities they had for science education professional development. As part of the research, educators were questioned about the science they provided and their comfort in teaching science. The interviews revealed that EC educators indicated that they provide a large number of varied experiences, although often they were unsure of the science content or the science understanding. They felt that this limited their abilities to develop the science activities further. Early Childhood Educators also indicated that whilst there was access to some science professional development, more would be welcome. The types of professional development which they felt would be most beneficial were “hands-on” play experiences – a “quick fix” approach. This paper will discuss the findings of the research through a socio-cultural framework, noting some of the issues identified during our discussions with the educators.

Early childhood science education : do Australian publishing trends represent world publishing trends?

A literature search of both Australian early childhood journals and Australian science education journals provides a compelling picture of science education in Australian early childhood in the recent past and the previous 40 years. Whilst a previous review of the literature found that there were concerns over the early childhood educators' confidence in teaching science, particularly physical sciences, current research indicates that this problem is still prevalent. The historical perspective also found that there was a distinctive approach evolving in early childhood science education, however further research into the place of science in the cognitive domain of early childhood was required. The more recent literature search found that as an area of investigation, early childhood science is still a neglected research area and there is still much scope for the development of theories and analysis of early childhood science education. The literature search was undertaken scanning for titles which included science education and early childhood in several Australian early childhood journals and Australian science education journals, although it is acknowledged that some articles may have been sent to international journals.

Changes in body mass index and health related quality of life from childhood to adolescence

Objective . To determine longitudinal relationships between body mass index (BMI) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in an adolescent population sample.
Design. Data collected in 2000 and 2005 within the Health of Young Victorians longitudinal cohort study.
Setting. Originally a community sample of elementary school students in Victoria, Australia. Follow-up occurred in either secondary schools or individuals homes.
Participants. Cohort recruited in 1997 via a random sampling design from Victorian elementary schools. Originally comprising 1 943 children, 1 569 (80.8%) participated in 2000 (wave 2, 8 – 13 years) and 851 (54%) in 2005 (wave 3, 13 – 19 years).
Main outcome measures. In both waves participants and their parents completed the PedsQL, a 23-item child HRQoL measure, and BMI z-scores and status (non-overweight, overweight or obese) were calculated from measured height and weight. Associations were tested cross-sectionally and longitudinally (linear regression, adjusted for baseline values)
Results. A total of 81.6% remained in the same BMI category, while 11.4% and 7.0% moved to higher and lower categories, respectively. Cross-sectional inverse associations between lower PedsQL and higher BMI categories were similar to those for elementary school children. Wave 2 BMI strongly predicted wave 3 BMI and wave 2 PedsQL strongly predicted wave 3 PedsQL. Only parent-reported Total PedsQL score predicted higher subsequent BMI, though this effect was small. Wave 2 BMI did not predict wave 3 PedsQL.
Conclusions. This novel study confi rmed previous cross-sectional associations, but did not provide convincing evidence that
BMI is causally associated with falling HRQoL or vice versa across the transition from childhood to adolescence.

Family-centred practice : empowerment, self-efficacy, and challenges for practitioners in early childhood education and care

Family-centred practice has been included in the Victoria, Australia Early Years Learning and Development Framework as a key practice principle for professionals working across all early years programs in that state. While this model of partnership for engaging and collaborating with families has long been used in the early intervention sector, the efficacy of adopting this model more widely across the wider early childhood education and care sector has not been explored. This article presents a discussion on family-centred practice as a model for engaging with families in the care and education of their children. Through an analysis of the underlying philosophy and an examination of the core principles and characteristics, the article explores family-centred practice as it sits within a broader theory of partnership. This analysis identifies that while there are essential principles and characteristics that position the model within a partnership framework, it is the notion of empowerment, an underpinning philosophy guiding the model, that adds another dimension to the way practitioners in early childhood education and care settings collaborate with families. In examining the broader early childhood context, the capacity of many early childhood practitioners to effectively implement empowering behaviours is challenged.

Partnerships in early childhood education and care : empowering parents or empowering practitioners

Research acknowledges that outcomes for young children are enhanced when effective partnerships are developed between educators and families. The Australian Early Years Learning Framework provides direction for the professional practice of early childhood educators by acknowledging the importance of educators working in partnership with families. In the Victorian state-based early years framework, family-centred practice has been included as the practice model. Family-centred practice has as its core a philosophy of professionals supporting the empowerment of parents as active decision makers for their child. The early childhood education and care sector in Australia, however, is made up of a workforce which is largely perceived as being undervalued as a profession. This raises questions as to the capacity of these educators to support the empowerment of parents when they themselves are coming from a position of disempowerment due to their professional status. This article reports on findings from a small-scale study of childhood educators working in a long day-care setting which aimed to identify perceptions of the partnerships that exist between themselves and parents. In the course of the investigation, it became evident that some of educators felt disempowered in the relationships that exist with some families.

The population cost-effectiveness of interventions designed to prevent childhood depression

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Depression in childhood and adolescence is common and often persists into adulthood. This study assessed the population-level cost-effectiveness of a preventive intervention that screens children and adolescents for symptoms of depression in schools and the subsequent provision of a psychological intervention to those showing elevated signs of depression. The target population for screening comprised 11- to 17-year-old children and adolescents in the 2003 Australian population.

METHODS: Economic modeling techniques were used to assess the incremental cost-effectiveness of the intervention compared with no intervention. The perspective was that of the health sector, and outcomes were measured by using disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Multivariate probabilistic and univariate sensitivity testing was applied to quantify variations in the model parameters.

RESULTS: The modeled psychological intervention had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $5400 per DALY averted, with just 2% of iterations falling above a $50 000 per DALY value-for-money threshold. Results were robust to model assumptions.

CONCLUSIONS: After school screening, screening and the psychological intervention represent good value-for-money. Such an intervention needs to be seriously considered in any national package of preventive health services. Acceptability issues, particularly to intervention providers, including schools and mental health professionals, need to be considered before wide-scale adoption.

Process and impact evaluation of the romp & chomp obesity prevention intervention in early childhood settings : lessons learned from implementation in preschools and long day care settings

Background: The Romp & Chomp controlled trial, which aimed to prevent obesity in preschool Australian children, was recently found to reduce the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity and improve children’s dietary patterns. The intervention focused on capacity building and policy implementation within various early childhood settings. This paper reports on the process and impact evaluation of this trial and the lessons learned from this complex community intervention.
Methods: Process data was collected throughout and audits capturing nutrition and physical activity-related environments and practices were completed postintervention by directors of Long Day Care (LDC) centers (n = 10) and preschools (n = 41) in intervention and comparison (n = 161 LDC and n = 347 preschool) groups.
Results: The environmental audits demonstrated positive impacts in both settings on policy, nutrition, physical activity opportunities, and staff capacity and practices, although results varied across settings and were more substantial in the preschool settings. Important lessons were learned in relation to implementation of such community-based interventions, including the significant barriers to implementing health-promotion interventions in early childhood settings, lack of engagement of for-profit LDC centers in the evaluation, and an inability to attribute direct intervention impacts when the intervention components were delivered as part of a health-promotion package integrated with other programs.
Conclusions: These results provide confidence that obesity prevention interventions in children’s settings can be effective; however, significant efforts must be directed toward developing context-specific strategies that invest in policies, capacity building, staff support, and parent engagement. Recognition by funders and reviewers of the difficulties involved in implementing and evaluating such complex interventions is also critical to strengthening the evidence base on the effectiveness of such public health approaches to obesity prevention.