Parent Support for Physical Activity and Motor Skills During Early Childhood: A Mixed-Methods Application of the Multi-process Action Control Framework.

BACKGROUND: Promoting physical activity (PA) and fundamental movement skills (FMS) in early childhood is necessary to address the high rates of inactivity in children. Parent support is a determinant of PA in children, however, parental intentions to support are not always translated into behavior resulting in an intention-behavior gap. PURPOSE: Positioned within the multi-process action control (M-PAC) framework, this study used an explanatory concurrent mixed-methods design to explore parents' intentions and support of PA and FMS during early childhood. METHODS: Parents (N=124) of children aged 3-4 years completed an online survey consisting of items assessing reflective (e.g., attitudes), regulatory (e.g., planning), and reflexive (e.g., habit) processes of M-PAC and intentions and support for child PA and FMS. A subset of parents (n=20) completed a semi-structured online interview guided by the M-PAC framework. RESULTS: Significantly more parents intended to support PA (71%) compared with FMS (44%; p<0.001) and successfully translated intentions into action for PA (57%) compared with FMS (27%; p<0.001). Discriminant function analysis showed parent behavior profiles for PA and FMS support were associated with a combination of reflective, regulatory, and reflexive processes, however, these differed based on support behavior. Qualitative findings highlighted parents' differential views on PA and FMS support and contextualized the psychological processes associated with each. CONCLUSIONS: Parent PA support interventions during early childhood should include strategies for supporting FMS. Interventions should prioritize fostering a combination of reflective, regulatory, and reflexive behaviors to translate intentions to support PA and FMS into behavior among parents of young children.

Promoting physical activity (PA) and fundamental movement skills (FMS) in early childhood is necessary to address physical inactivity in young children. Parent support is a known predictor of PA in children, however, parents who intend to support PA do not always follow through with these intentions. This is referred to as the intention­behavior gap. Applying the theoretical tenets of the multi-process action control framework, this study surveyed 124 parents of children aged 3­4 years on reflective (e.g., attitudes), regulatory (e.g., planning), and reflexive (e.g., habit) processes, intentions, and behaviors related to parent PA and FMS support. Follow-up interviews were completed with 20 parents to gain a deeper understanding of parent PA and FMS support behaviors. Survey findings showed that parents' intentions and support behaviors for their child's PA and FMS were associated with a combination of reflective, regulatory, and reflexive processes. Interview findings highlighted more favorable parent perspectives toward PA support compared with FMS and further explained the psychological processes associated with each. Future parent PA support interventions during early childhood should include FMS support strategies and foster a combination of reflective, regulatory, and reflexive behaviors to bridge the gap between intentions and support behaviors among parents of young children.

Clinical utility and psychometric properties of tools for early detection of developmental concerns and disability in young children: A scoping review.

AIM: To explore the clinical utility and psychometric properties of standardized tools for the early detection of developmental concerns or disability in young children. METHOD: Systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines containing psychometric data on tools appropriate for use with children from birth to 5 years 11 months were searched for in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, and PsycINFO for the years 2000 to 2023, with no language restrictions. RESULTS: Eighty-six systematic reviews and six clinical practice guidelines guided identification of tools. A total of 246 tools were identified across domains of neurological, motor, cognition, communication/language, social-emotional, sensory processing, and/or specific diagnostic conditions of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, developmental coordination disorder, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. After critical evaluation, 67 tools were included in the recommendations. Recommendations for screening and diagnostic assessment tools were based on best available evidence for predictive and discriminative validity, diagnostic accuracy, together with consideration of resource use and accessibility. INTERPRETATION: This comprehensive scoping review provides recommendations on the best tools for primary care, medical, allied health professionals, nursing, and other health workers to detect and identify developmental concerns or disability in young children using evidence-based tools.

Reliability of field- and laboratory-based assessments of health-related fitness in preschool-aged children.

OBJECTIVES: Reliable measurements of health-related fitness-cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, body composition, and flexibility-are imperative for understanding and tracking health-related fitness from the preschool age. This study aimed to examine the test-retest reliability of field-based (i.e., sit and reach [standard and back-saver], standing long jump, grip strength); and laboratory-based (i.e., Bruce Protocol Treadmill Test, Wingate Anaerobic Test) assessments of health-related fitness in preschool aged children (4-5 years). METHODS: Forty-two typically developing children participated in both assessment time points separated by 2-3 weeks. All fitness assessments were administered individually and repeated in the same order by the same assessor. Heteroscedasticity was examined for each parameter. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to assess test-retest reliability. RESULTS: All parameters were homoscedastic. Test-retest reliability for the field-based tests and Bruce Protocol Treadmill Test parameters were moderate to good. Test-retest reliability for the Wingate Test parameters were good to excellent for maximum pedal rate, peak power, and peak power/kg; mean power and fatigue measured at 10 and 30 s demonstrated moderate to excellent test-retest reliability. CONCLUSION: The standard sit and reach, grip strength, and short-term muscle power from the Wingate test are reliable assessments of health-related fitness in preschool-aged children.

Independent and Joint Associations of Physical Activity and Sleep on Mental Health Among a Global Sample of 200,743 Adults.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has demonstrated that both sleep and physical activity (PA) are independently associated with various indicators of mental health among adults. However, their joint contribution to mental health has received limited attention. The present study used cross-sectional data from the Mental Health Million Project to examine the independent and joint effects of sleep and PA on mental health among a global sample of adults, and whether these effects differ among individuals receiving mental health treatment. METHOD: The sample included 200,743 participants (33.1% young adults, 45.6% middle-aged adults, 21.3% older adults; 57.6% females, 0.9% other) from 213 countries, territories, and archipelagos worldwide that completed a comprehensive 47-item assessment of mental health including both problems (i.e., ill-being) and assets (i.e., well-being): the Mental Health Quotient. Participants also reported their weekly frequency of PA and adequate sleep, and mental health treatment status. A series of generalized linear mixed models were computed. RESULTS: Independent dose-response associations were observed, whereby greater amounts of PA and adequate sleep were each associated with better mental health. In addition, a synergistic interaction was observed in which the positive correlation of PA with mental health was strengthened with greater frequency of adequate sleep. These benefits were less pronounced among adults receiving mental health treatment. CONCLUSION: While findings suggest sleep can help to offset the negative influence of a physically inactive lifestyle (and vice versa), our results point to a "more is better" approach for both behaviors when it comes to promoting mental health.

Cumulative Prenatal Risk Factors and Developmental Coordination Disorder in Young Children.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of cumulative prenatal risk factors (RFs) on the presence of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) in young children. METHODS: Participants (N = 589, 338 boys, Mage = 4.5 ± 0.5 years) were from a larger cohort study, the Coordination and Activity Tracking in Children (CATCH). Motor coordination was assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children- 2nd Edition. Children were classified as at risk for DCD (DCDr) based on European Academy of Childhood Disability guidelines. RFs were obtained through a parent-completed survey. A multiple logistic regression was conducted to examine the effect of the RFs on DCD. RESULTS: Results showed that the odds of a child having DCDr are significantly higher with a greater total number of prenatal RFs, after adjustment for mother's age at child's birth, child's sex, child's age, marital status and total annual household income (OR = 1.48, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These findings warrant further investigation into the cumulative impact of multiple prenatal RFs and whether specific combinations of RFs might be more strongly linked to DCD than others. These results provide additional insight into possible causes and prevention of DCD.

Physical Activity and Motor Skill Development During Early Childhood: Investigating the Role of Parent Support.

PURPOSE: This study examined the relationship between parent physical activity (PA) support and children's motor skill development and PA during early childhood and explored the potential moderating effect of child PA and motor skills on these relationships. METHODS: Participants (N = 589, 250 girls, meanage = 4.93 [0.59] y) were part of a larger, longitudinal cohort study. Motor skills were assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition. Moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) was measured using ActiGraph accelerometers. Five items were used to measure parent support frequency (1 = none, 3 = 3-4 times, 5 = daily). Moderation analyses were conducted to examine the moderating effect of MVPA and motor skills on the relationship between parent support and motor skills and MVPA, respectively. RESULTS: Parent support was significantly related to motor skills (B = 14.45, P = .007), and child MVPA significantly moderated this relationship (B = -0.17, P = .021). The relationship between parent support and child MVPA did not reach significance (B = 2.89, P = .051); however, motor skills had a significant moderating effect (B = -0.08, P = .022). CONCLUSIONS: These novel findings suggest parent PA support is related to child motor skills and PA during early childhood, but this relationship is context dependent. Child-level characteristics should be considered in future parent PA support research.

The Sport Experience Measure for Children and Youth (SEM:CY): A Rasch Validation Study.

This study employed Rasch analyses to validate a novel measure of sport experience: the Sport Experience Measure: Children and Youth (SEM:CY). Analyses were applied to self-reported data of n = 503 young people (age 9-18 years, M = 12.91, 50% female) in Canada who were engaging in sport during the previous 12 months. The revised measure, consisting of 24 items on a 3-point response scale, demonstrated good fit statistics (e.g., item fit residual: M = -0.50, SD = 0.94 and person fit residual: M = -0.62, SD = 2.33), an ability to reliably discriminate between levels of sport experience, and an absence of differential item functioning for various groups (males and females, older and younger individuals, solo and team sports, and those playing at various competitive levels, including recreation). The SEM:CY is a succinct tool that can serve as a valuable means to gauge the quality of an individual's sport experience, which can facilitate positive youth development and sustain participation across the life span.

Development, explanation, and presentation of the Physical Literacy Interventions Reporting Template (PLIRT).

BACKGROUND: The physical literacy (PL) concept integrates different personal (e.g., physical, cognitive, psychological/affective, social) determinants of physical activity and has received growing attention recently. Although practical efforts increasingly adopt PL as a guiding concept, latest evidence has shown that PL interventions often lack specification of important theoretical foundations and basic delivery information. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to develop an expert-based template that supports researchers and practitioners in planning and reporting PL interventions. METHODS: The development process was informed by Moher et al.'s guidance for the development of research reporting guidelines. We composed a group of ten distinguished experts on PL. In two face-to-face meetings, the group first discussed a literature-driven draft of reporting items. In the second stage, the experts anonymously voted and commented on the items in two rounds (each leading to revisions) until consensus was reached. RESULTS: The panel recommended that stakeholders of PL initiatives should tightly interlock interventional aspects with PL theory while ensuring consistency throughout all stages of intervention development. The Physical Literacy Interventions Reporting Template (PLIRT) encompasses a total of 14 items (two additional items for mixed-methods studies) in six different sections: title (one item), background and definition (three items), assessment (one item each for quantitative and qualitative studies), design and content (five items), evaluation (one item plus one item each for quantitative and qualitative studies), discussion and conclusion (two items). CONCLUSION: The PLIRT was designed to facilitate improved transparency and interpretability in reports on PL interventions. The template has the potential to close gaps between theory and practice, thereby contributing to more holistic interventions for the fields of physical education, sport, and health.

Reliability of Fitness Assessments in Children With Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties.

PURPOSE: Examine the reliability of field-based fitness assessments in school-aged children with emotional or behavioral difficulties (EBD). Understanding the impact of fitness on physical activity participation for children with EBD is limited by our ability to reliably measure it. METHODS: Fifteen children aged 7-12 years with EBD completed 7 assessments-standing broad jump, overhead throw, grip strength, isometric plank hold, isometric wall squat, unilateral heel raise, and modified 6-minute walk test-in a random order on 2 separate occasions. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were computed to evaluate reliability. RESULTS: ICCs ranged from .65 to .99 representing moderate to excellent reliability for all assessments. Shorter assessments requiring less attention and behavior regulation tended to demonstrate higher ICC values while assessments with greater attention or behavioral regulation demands tended to have lower ICC values. CONCLUSION: Results demonstrate varied reliability for fitness tests in children with EBD. Practitioners can use grip strength and standing broad jump assessments with confidence. Other assessments have good reliability but greater variability indicating they may be a challenge for some children with EBD.

Bi-directional associations between physical activity and growth indicators of pre-school aged children.

Physical activity for young children provides a wealth of benefits for health and development. However, little is known about the inter-relationship of physical activity and growth indicators. The aim of this study was to test the bi-directional associations of physical activity and growth indicators in children under five years of age. This prospective study included 1,575 children with data on physical activity and growth indicators at ages 12, 24 and 48 months. Accelerometers were used to measure physical activity. Z-scores for length/height-for-age, weight-for-length/height, weight-for-age and body mass index (BMI)-for-age were calculated. Bi-directional associations between physical activity and growth indicators were evaluated using cross-lagged panels based on Generalized Estimating Equations and cross-lagged structural equation models. Physical activity was consistently associated with lower weight-related growth indicators: BMI-for-age: ß=-0.12; Weight-for-age: ß=-0.11; Weight-for-length/height: ß=-0.12. Higher BMI-for-age indicated lower physical activity (ß=-0.06). When the exposure was lagged, the association of physical activity on weight-related growth indicators remained, but weight-related growth indicators showed a negative association on physical activity. A bi-directional association between physical activity and weight-related growth indicators was observed. The magnitude of associations were stronger when physical activity was modelled as exposure. These results reinforce the importance of physical activity since early years.