Search

Additional file 6.

Additional file 5.

Additional file 3.

Additional file 2.

Additional file 1.

Additional file 4.

Background: There is a lack of evidence-based physical activity (PA) policy for early childhood education and care (ECEC). Purpose: To develop a PA policy in consultation with ECEC providers and stakeholders. The policy included ECEC specific PA recommendations clarifying the Australian National Quality Standards for ECEC. Methods: The Delphi process was used to refine content and coverage of the policy, identify and overcome challenges with the proposed implementation procedures and confirm best-practice dissemination and evaluation. A national expert panel from ECEC, pre-school education, PA-related research and PA-related policy review and development were invited to participate. Items were retained if they had >70% consensus from participants. Results: Key statements and recommendations for physical activity and sedentary time at ECEC were reported as acceptable as were implementation strategies targeting management/supervisors/educators, the physical environment and families. Ten strategies were identified as easy to implement and likely to have a strong level of influence (e.g., foster awareness and understanding of the policy; program a range of learning experiences encouraging active play; embed the importance of active play in everyday experiences; break up prolonged periods of sedentary behaviours; provide many daily opportunities for outdoor play time; make the policy available to all staff, families and visitors). Best practice policy dissemination and evaluation were also confirmed. Conclusions: These findings along with results from educator focus groups will be used to support the successful dissemination, implementation and evaluation of this PA policy in ECEC���s across Australia. Funding: Australian Health and Medical Research Council Partnership Project., The Health & Fitness Journal of Canada, Vol. 14 No. 3 (2021): Proceedings from the 8th International Society for Physical Activity and Health Congress

Background: Childhood obesity and physical inactivity are major public health issues. Almost every second household in Australia has a dog. Dog ownership leads to greater physical activity (PA) in adults and school-aged children. Purpose: To examine if dog ownership and dog-facilitated PA was associated with higher PA in pre-schoolers. Methods: A secondary data analysis of the ���Play Spaces & Environments for Children���s Physical Activity��� study cohort (2015-2018) was undertaken. Data was collected for 1490 children 2-5 years from 122 long day-care centres in Perth, Western Australia. Parent-report surveys measured socio-demographic factors, dog ownership, child-dog play, dog walking, structured/unstructured PA and sedentary screen time. Results/Findings: Compared with non-dog owners, dog-owning pre-schoolers did 6 minutes/day more home yard play, 5 minutes/day less park play and 8 times/week more unstructured PA (all p, The Health & Fitness Journal of Canada, Vol. 14 No. 3 (2021): Proceedings from the 8th International Society for Physical Activity and Health Congress

Additional file 2.

Additional file 1.

BackgroundMeeting 24-h movement behavior guidelines for the early years is associated with better health and development outcomes in young children. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is a key intervention setting however little is known about the content and implementation of movement behavior polices in this context. To inform policy development this international scoping review examined the prevalence, content, development and implementation of ECEC-specific movement behavior policies.MethodsA systematic literature search of published and gray literature since 2010 was conducted. Academic databases (EMBASE, Cinahl, Web of Science, Proquest, Scopus, EBSCO, PubMed) were searched. A Google search was undertaken and limited to the first 200 results. The Comprehensive Analysis of Policy on Physical Activity framework informed data charting.ResultsForty-three ECEC policy documents met inclusion criteria. Most policies originated in the United States, were subnational and developed with government, non-government organizations and ECEC end-users. Physical activity was specified in 59% (30–180 min/day), sedentary time in 51% (15–60 min/day) and sleep in 20% (30–120 min/day) of policies. Daily outdoor physical activity was recommended (30–160 min/day) in most policies. No policy permitted screen time for children 2 years. Most policies (80%) had accompanying resources but few provided evaluation tools (e.g., checklists; action plan templates). Many policies had not been reviewed since the publication of 24-h movement guidelines.ConclusionMovement behavior policies in the ECEC setting are often vaguely worded, missing a comprehensive evidence base, siloed in development and often not tailored for the ‘real world.’ A focus on evidence informed ECEC-specific movement behavior policies proportionally aligned with national/international 24-h Movement Behaviors Guidelines for the Early Years is needed.

The objective of this study was to explore the parenting patterns of families exposed to the fly-in–fly-out (FIFO) work pattern in raising adolescent children, and develop and test the usefulness of a parenting resource specific to this family structure. A mixed methods research design was employed using semi-structured telephone interviews and questionnaires to collect information on parental monitoring, behaviour management, relationship quality, communication strategies, and parent and adolescent mental health. Twenty-one Western Australian at-home parents with FIFO partners, 23 FIFO workers, and 41 adolescent children of FIFO parents participated in the study. Responding parents and their children were generally coping well with the challenges of the FIFO work pattern. Parenting strategies such as open and meaningful communication; family time spent together; routines; social support networks and setting boundaries were discussed as strategies that were adopted by the participants interviewed to parent their adolescent children. FIFO families face increased challenges in providing consistent parenting strategies given the cyclical presence and absence of one parent. They are typically unable to dedicate time to attending face to face or group parenting sessions and can be reluctant to ask for help when the FIFO work pattern becomes problematic. An online parenting resource provides an effective tool to communicate successful parenting strategies for FIFO families with adolescents. Refereed/Peer-reviewed