An Intervention to Improve Motor Skills in Young Children (PLAY)

Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Status: Completed

Conditions: Development, Child; Physical Activity; Fundamental Motor Skills; Self-regulation

Treatments: Behavioral: Fundamental Motor Skills App; Behavioral: Unstructured Physical Activity App

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT03901300

PBRC 2018-041

1R21HD095035-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of "PLAY" is to adapt and test a developmentally appropriate intervention delivered on a mobile app to parents, with the goal of teaching fundamental motor skill (FMS) proficiency to their preschool-aged children (ages 3 to 5 y). Seventy-two children (3 to 5 y of age) were randomized. Of these children, 36 parents were randomized to use the FMS app and 36 were randomized to use a version of the app that promotes unstructured PA as a comparator group. Parents in the FMS condition accessed instructional lessons, peer modeling videos, and activity breaks to deliver 720 minutes of targeted, structured FMS instruction time to their child over a 12-week period. Parents in the comparator arm used a version of the app that provides instructional lessons to promote the equivalent amount of unstructured PA for their child. Parents were asked to guide the intervention, as parental support, modeling, and co-participation predict children's engagement in PA.

Full description

Preschoolers spend 4 hours/day in front of a screen, while fewer than one-quarter engage in the recommended two hours of daily physical activity (PA). The decline in PA, increase in screen-based behaviors, and onset of obesity during preschool years have been linked to lifetime risk of obesity and related comorbidities. However, emerging evidence indicates that "screen time" can actually be leveraged as a tool to increase children's PA and promote healthy weight. Specifically, PA interventions delivered over digital devices can provide real-time encouragement for children to be physically active. Prior interventions delivered over mobile devices were effective in increasing PA levels, including our own P-Mobile study that provided behavioral strategies to parents of children aged 6 to 10 years.

When considering how to support and motivate parents whose children are preschool-aged, teaching and modeling fundamental motor skills (FMS) are critical to enable children's PA. FMS like running, jumping, or throwing a ball, are basic, goal-directed movement patterns developed in early childhood that provide a foundation for children to be physically active and competent movers. These skills enable a child to function independently in their surrounding environment, engage with peers, and contribute to their ability to be physically active. Evidence has shown that children must establish a minimal level of FMS proficiency to continue participating in PA opportunities as they age. FMS and PA behaviors have a dynamic and reciprocal relationship. Children with higher levels of FMS are more physically active both during childhood and into adolescence. Therefore, a PA intervention for preschoolers should focus on developing FMS competence.

Enrollment: 72 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 3 to 5 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 3-5 years of age
• Physically capable of exercise
• Has no parent-reported mobility limitations that impairs performance of fundamental motor skills

Exclusion criteria

• Gross Motor Quotient at "gifted or very advanced" based on the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-3)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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72 participants in 2 patient groups

Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS)

Experimental group

Description:

The FMS group will utilize the PLAY FMS app that provides instructional lessons, peer modeling videos, and activity breaks to deliver 720 minutes of targeted, structured FMS instruction time to the child over a 12 week period.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Fundamental Motor Skills App

Unstructured Physical Activity

Active Comparator group

Description:

The active comparator group will use a version of the PLAY app that provides instructional lessons to promote the equivalent dosage of unstructured physical activity for the child.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Unstructured Physical Activity App