Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Ghent University, Watersportlaan 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2014 Mar 14;11(1):38. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-11-38.
The ToyBox-study developed an evidence- and theory-based intervention to improve preschoolers' energy balance-related behaviours - including physical activity (PA) - by targeting the kindergarten environment and involving their parents/caregivers. The present study aimed to examine the effect of the ToyBox-intervention on increasing Belgian preschoolers' objectively measured PA levels.
A sample of 472 preschoolers (4.43 ± 0.55 years; 55.1% boys) from 27 kindergartens (15 intervention, 12 control kindergartens) in Flanders, Belgium were included in the data analyses. Preschoolers wore an ActiGraph accelerometer for six consecutive days and were included in the data analyses if they had a minimum of two weekdays and one weekend day, both at baseline and follow-up (one year later). Preschoolers' PA outcomes were estimated for an average day, weekday, weekend day, during school hours, and during after school hours. To assess intervention effects, multilevel repeated measures analyses were conducted for the total sample, and for sub-groups (according to sex, kindergarten levels of socio-economic status (SES) and risk groups (low levels of PA at baseline)) of preschoolers.
Small intervention effects were found in the total sample. Most intervention effects were found in boys and in preschoolers from high SES kindergartens. Boys from the intervention group had an increase in vigorous PA (ß=1.47, p=0.03) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (ß=1.27, p=0.03) from baseline to follow-up, whereas PA levels in boys from the control group stagnated or decreased. In preschoolers from high SES kindergartens, the largest effects were found for PA outcomes during school hours and during after school hours.
The results from the Belgian sample demonstrate that effects of the PA-component of the ToyBox-intervention on objectively measured PA were found in preschool boys and in preschoolers from high SES kindergartens, which means that the ToyBox-intervention was mainly effective in those sub-groups. Future interventions should search for alternative strategies to increase preschoolers' PA levels in preschool girls and preschoolers from low SES kindergartens, as these are the most important at-risk groups regarding PA.
ToyBox 研究旨在开发一种基于证据和理论的干预措施，通过针对幼儿园环境并涉及家长/照顾者，改善学龄前儿童与能量平衡相关的行为，包括身体活动（PA）。本研究旨在检验 ToyBox 干预对增加比利时学龄前儿童客观测量的 PA 水平的效果。
本研究纳入了来自比利时佛兰德斯的 27 家幼儿园（15 家干预幼儿园，12 家对照幼儿园）的 472 名 4.43±0.55 岁（55.1%为男孩）的学龄前儿童。研究采用 ActiGraph 加速度计连续测量 6 天，仅将至少在基线和随访（一年后）期间有两个工作日和一个周末日，且均有数据的学龄前儿童纳入数据分析。对学龄前儿童的 PA 结果进行了平均日、工作日、周末日、在校时间和放学后时间的评估。为了评估干预效果，对总样本和根据性别、幼儿园社会经济地位（SES）水平和风险组（基线时 PA 水平较低）的亚组进行了多水平重复测量分析。
总样本中发现了较小的干预效果。大多数干预效果在男孩和来自高 SES 幼儿园的学龄前儿童中发现。与对照组相比，干预组的男孩在基线至随访期间，其剧烈 PA（ß=1.47，p=0.03）和中高强度 PA（ß=1.27，p=0.03）有所增加，而对照组男孩的 PA 水平停滞或下降。在来自高 SES 幼儿园的学龄前儿童中，在校时间和放学后时间的 PA 结果发现了最大的效果。
来自比利时样本的结果表明，ToyBox 干预中 PA 部分对客观测量的 PA 的效果仅在男孩和来自高 SES 幼儿园的学龄前儿童中发现，这意味着 ToyBox 干预主要在这些亚组中有效。未来的干预措施应该寻找增加低 SES 幼儿园女孩和学龄前儿童 PA 水平的替代策略，因为这些群体是 PA 方面的重要高危群体。
