Increasing physical activity in preschool: a pilot study to evaluate animal trackers.

OBJECTIVE

This report describes a pilot study to evaluate Animal Trackers (AT), a preschool program designed to (1) increase structured physical activity (PA) during the preschool day; (2) increase practice of gross motor skills; (3) provide teachers with an easy-to-use PA program regardless of teacher experience; and (4) implement a teacher walking intervention.

DESIGN

Pilot observational study in volunteer preschools.

SETTING

Nine preschools in New Mexico.

PARTICIPANTS

Two-hundred seventy 3- to 5-year-old children and 32 teachers.

INTERVENTION

Daily 10-minute classroom activities for children.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Implementation and duration of AT activities, teacher preparation time, and added weekly time spent in structured PA.

ANALYSIS

Process evaluation to track program implementation, and pre-post measures to assess outcomes.

RESULTS

AT activities were implemented 4.1 times per week (11.4 minutes/activity), with 7 minutes teacher preparation time. Overall, AT added 47 minutes of structured PA per week for children.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The AT program increased structured PA time in preschools. Teachers felt that AT was developmentally appropriate; that children enjoyed the activities; and that the children's motor skills improved. Results of the pilot study are encouraging, since research suggests that even small increases in PA could help prevent obesity.