Barriers and Facilitators of Parent Engagement with Health Promotion in Child Care: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation

BACKGROUND: Early care and education providers cite lack of parent engagement as a central barrier to promoting healthy behaviors among young children. However, little research exists about factors influencing parent engagement with promoting healthy eating and activity behaviors in the this setting. AIMS: This study aimed to address this gap by examining low and high parent engagement with the Healthy Me, Healthy We campaign to identify barriers and facilitators of parent engagement with the intervention. METHOD: This comparative case study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach. We created center-level parent engagement scores using process evaluation data from the effectiveness trial of Healthy Me, Healthy We. Recruitment focused on centers with the five lowest and five highest scores. Twenty-eight adults (7 directors, 9 teachers, 12 parents) from seven centers (3 low engagement, 4 high engagement) completed semistructured interviews and the Family and Provider/Teacher Relationship Quality measure. Analytic approaches included descriptive statistical analyses for surveys and a framework-informed thematic analysis for interviews. RESULTS: Prominent contrasts between low- and high-engagement groups involved center culture for parent engagement and health promotion, practices for fostering networks and communication within centers, and communication between centers and parents. Personal attributes of providers (e.g., attitudes) also differentially influenced practices for engaging parents. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Organizational characteristics and individual practices can facilitate or impede parent engagement with health promotion efforts. Assessing organizational context, gaining input from all stakeholders, and conducting capacity-building interventions may be critical for laying the foundation for positive relationships that support parent engagement in implementation of health promotion programs and beyond

Measurement of Perceived School Climate for Active Travel in Children.

Objectives : To describe the development of an original scale that measures perceived school climate for active travel in fourth- and fifth-grade girls and boys. Methods : The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to provide evidence of factorial validity, factorial invariance, and construct validity. Results : The CFA supported the fit of a 3-factor (encouragement, praise, and importance) correlated model for the school climate for active travel measure. This hierarchical model was invariant between sex and across a 7-month time period, and initial evidence for construct validity was provided. Conclusions : School climate for active travel is a measurable construct, and preliminary evidence suggests relationships with more support for active travel from friends and family

A systematic review of interventions for promoting active transportation to school

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Active transportation to school is an important contributor to the total physical activity of children and adolescents. However, active school travel has declined over time, and interventions are needed to reverse this trend. The purpose of this paper is to review intervention studies related to active school transportation to guide future intervention research.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A systematic review was conducted to identify intervention studies of active transportation to school published in the scientific literature through January 2010. Five electronic databases and a manual search were conducted. Detailed information was extracted, including a quantitative assessment comparing the effect sizes, and a qualitative assessment using an established evaluation tool.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We identified 14 interventions that focused on active transportation to school. These interventions mainly focused on primary school children in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Almost all the interventions used quasi-experimental designs (10/14), and most of the interventions reported a small effect size on active transportation (6/14).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>More research with higher quality study designs and measures should be conducted to further evaluate interventions and to determine the most successful strategies for increasing active transportation to school.</p

Implementing an Innovative Educational Program Delivery Strategy to Teach 2014 Farm Bill Changes to Ohio Farmers and Landowners

The timing and complexity of the 2014 Farm Bill required quick dissemination of technical information to allow participants to make decisions affecting risk management strategies for their farms. Using existing organizational structures and incorporating a team approach allowed Ohio State University Extension educators to successfully meet the educational needs of Ohio\u27s farmers and landowners. Program success followed due to Extension\u27s commitments to providing proper training, support, and reward to educators and to working cooperatively with external agencies to achieve the identified outcomes

Efficacy of an Enhanced Implementation Strategy to Increase Parent Engagement with a Health Promotion Program in Childcare

Previous efforts to involve parents in implementation of childcare-based health promotion interventions have yielded limited success, suggesting a need for different implementation strategies. This study evaluated the efficacy of an enhanced implementation strategy to increase parent engagement with Healthy Me, Healthy We. This quasi-experimental study included childcare centers from the second of two waves of a cluster-randomized trial. The standard approach (giving parents intervention materials, prompting participation at home, inviting participation with classroom events) was delivered in 2016–2017 (29 centers, 116 providers, and 199 parents). The enhanced approach (standard plus seeking feedback, identifying and addressing barriers to parent participation) was delivered in 2017–2018 (13 centers, 57 providers, and 114 parents). Parent engagement was evaluated at two levels. For the center-level, structured interview questions with providers throughout the intervention were systematically scored. For the parent-level, parents completed surveys following the intervention. Differences in parent engagement were evaluated using linear regression (center-level) and mixed effects (parent-level) models. Statistical significance was set at p \u3c 0.025 for two primary outcomes. There was no difference in parent engagement between approaches at the center-level, β = −1.45 (95% confidence interval, −4.76 to 1.87), p = 0.38l. However, the enhanced approach had higher parent-level scores, β = 3.60, (95% confidence interval, 1.49 to 5.75), p \u3c 0.001. In the enhanced approach group, providers consistently reported greater satisfaction with the intervention than parents (p \u3c 0.001), yet their fidelity of implementing the enhanced approach was low (less than 20%). Results show promise that parent engagement with childcare-based health promotion innovations can positively respond to appropriately designed and executed implementation strategies, but strategies need to be feasible and acceptable for all stakeholders

Effectiveness of an active commuting school-based intervention at 6-month follow-up

Active commuting to school may provide a significant source of physical activity in youth. Previous school-based intervention studies have shown a positive effect on increasing the frequency of active commuting to school in the short-term. However, how the observed effects are after the intervention remains to be investigated. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of a school-based intervention on active commuting to school at 6-month follow-up

Contributions of Early Care and Education Programs to Diet Quality in Children Aged 3 to 4 Years in Central North Carolina

BACKGROUND: Parents and early care and education (ECE) are the key influencers of young children\u27s diets, but there is limited information about how each contribute to children\u27s overall diet quality. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine what proportion of children\u27s dietary intake occurs within the ECE setting and whether diet quality is higher at ECE centers and, consequently, on weekdays than weekends. DESIGN: This cross-sectional analysis of a larger cluster randomized controlled trial used multiple 24-hour dietary intakes measured through a combination of the Dietary Observation in Child Care protocol and parent-reported food diaries. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Participants (N=840) included children aged 3 to 4 years enrolled in ECE centers in central North Carolina for whom 24-hour dietary intake was captured via observation of meals and snacks consumed at ECE and parent-report of all remaining meals and snacks. Data were collected from 2015 to 2016. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Diet quality at ECE and elsewhere was evaluated using the Healthy Eating Index 2015. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Mixed-effects models were used to determine differences in mean Healthy Eating Index 2015 component and total scores. Models were adjusted for children\u27s age and sex and accounted for clustering within ECE centers and families. RESULTS: Children consumed approximately 40% of daily energy, nutrients, and food groups at ECE centers. The mean total Healthy Eating Index 2015 score was higher for foods and beverages consumed at ECE centers (58.3±0.6) than elsewhere (52.5±0.6) (P \u3c 0.0001). The mean total Healthy Eating Index 2015 score was also higher on weekdays (58.5±0.5) than on weekends (51.3±0.5) (P \u3c 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Children consume a majority of dietary intake away from ECE centers. Overall, diet quality is low, but the quality of foods consumed by children at ECE centers is higher than that consumed elsewhere. ECE centers remain an important source of nutrition and further investigation is warranted to identify ways to support both ECE centers and families to provide healthier eating environments

Change in Physical Activity Participation Among Adolescent Girls from 8th to 12th Grade

Background: Physical activity levels of girls decline in adolescence, but little is known about changes in participation in specific types of physical activity. This study examined change in participation in specific activities during adolescence in girls. Methods: Girls (N=398, age 13.6 ± 0.6 y at baseline, 58.5% African American) from 31 middle and 24 high schools in South Carolina completed the 3-Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR) in 8th, 9th, and 12th grades. Girls reported their predominant activity and its intensity level in each 30-min time block on the previous 3 d. Results: Vigorous physical activity declined from 45.4% in 8th grade to 34.1% in 12th grade. The probability of participating in several forms of vigorous physical activity in 12th grade was strongly associated with participation in those activities in 8th grade. Conclusion: Early-in-life participation in sports and other forms of vigorous physical activity are important to the maintenance of physical activity during adolescence in girls

A comparison of two methods of teaching beginning golf : expository versus guided discovery

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of two teaching methods, expository and guided discovery, in skill and knowledge learning of golf at the beginning level. The subjects were sixty college women attending Coker College, Hartsville, South Carolina, during the academic year 1969-1970. The subjects were enrolled in four classes of beginning golf. Two classes were designated as the expository group and two as the guided discovery group. The golf unit was constructed using the swing theory as stated by Hicks and Griffin. (11) The unit lasted fifteen weeks and classes met two days a week for fifty minutes a session. Three subjects were dropped from the study for reason of absences. At the end of the unit the subjects were evaluated by means of the Porter-Gaskin five iron full swing skill test (48), an eighteen hole course play, and a fifty item objective knowledge test constructed by the experimenter. However, due to a low internal reliability rating, the knowledge test was not included as a criterion measure of golf understanding

Student perception of the classroom environment in secondary school physical education

The purpose of the study was to investigate student perception of the classroom environment in physical education. The study compared perceptions of male and female secondary school students in classes taught by male and female teachers. A total of 822 students from six schools in the State of South Carolina participated in the study. Students were randomly selected from the required physical education classes of 23 male and female teachers. The Learning Environment Inventory (LEI) and an information questionnaire were administered to all students. The LEI, based on the Getzels and Thelen multidimensional theory of classrooms, was a 105-item questionnaire which tested for 15 classroom dimensions typical of secondary school classes. Data were analyzed on 10 groups formed by student sex and the amount of class time spent with a teacher of a particular sex. This technique was employed due to the variable organization structures which existed within the schools. Collection of data occurred at a time when legal mandates had been issued for coeducational physical education classes