Clinical trial NCT03901300: An Intervention to Improve Motor Skills in Young Children
Official title: PLAY: An Intervention to Improve Motor Skills in Young Children
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Physical Activity
Fundamental Motor Skills
Development, Child
Self-regulation
Lead sponsor: Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
First posted: 2019-04-03
Enrollment: 72
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 3
Maximum age (years): 5
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: 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.

Detailed 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.

Eligibility criteria: 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)

Primary outcomes:
measure: App Adherence
timeFrame: From date of randomization until completion of the 12 weeks of intervention
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-3) Percentile Rank Between Baseline and Week 12
timeFrame: baseline and 12 weeks (primary outcome)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Baton Rouge
country: United States
facility: Pennington Biomedical Research Center
state: Louisiana
Study officials:
affiliation: Pennington Biomedical Study Director
name: Amanda Staiano, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: Augusta University
name: E. Kipling Webster, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Webster EK, Kracht CL, Newton RL Jr, Beyl RA, Staiano AE. Intervention to Improve Preschool Children's Fundamental Motor Skills: Protocol for a Parent-Focused, Mobile App-Based Comparative Effectiveness Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2020 Oct 20;9(10):e19943. doi: 10.2196/19943.
citation: Staiano AE, Newton RL, Beyl RA, Kracht CL, Hendrick CA, Viverito M, Webster EK. mHealth Intervention for Motor Skills: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Pediatrics. 2022 May 1;149(5):e2021053362. doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-053362.
citation: Staiano AE, Saha S, Beyl RA, Kracht CL, Newton, Jr RL, Webster EK. Parental engagement and implementation fidelity through a mHealth motor skills intervention for young children. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy Journal. 2023. ePub online. Doi: 10.1080/17408989.2023.2235394.