A kindergarten-based child health promotion program: the Adapted National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Mission X for improving physical fitness in South Korea.

BACKGROUND

Effective and sustainable intervention programs are needed to promote physical activity (PA) in children.

OBJECTIVES

To adapt the NASA Mission X: Train Like an Astronaut program for use with South Korean children, and to evaluate its feasibility and effectiveness for promoting children's physical fitness.

METHODS

Children 5 years old ( = 212) and their parents were recruited from three kindergartens in three cities to participate in a 6-week intervention program in fall 2014. We assessed the children's PA and related changes, and parental changes in attitude and beliefs, after participation in the intervention.

RESULTS

Girls reported less PA than boys (40.7 vs. 59.0, < 0.01). Children with a normal body mass index (BMI) were more likely to be active than underweight children (< 10 percentile) or overweight children (⩾ 85 percentile). After the intervention, about one-half of the children had increased their level of PA (49.4%), increased interest in PA (59.1%) and found psychological need satisfaction in exercise (52.6%). The majority of parents became aware of the necessity of childhood PA (94.2%), their child's PA capability (64.3%), and the relationship of PA with their children's self-esteem (79.9%).

CONCLUSIONS

The adapted NASA Mission X program was feasible and effective in promoting PA in kindergarteners, and also improved their parents' attitude and beliefs about children's PA in South Korea. This study provided a model for promoting childhood health through child care and educational settings.