Abstract
Young children spend a high proportion of their time at childcare sitting. Reducing sitting time or breaking up prolonged periods of sitting may be positively associated with health outcomes among children. The purpose of this study was to identify childcare educators’ perceptions of what environmental and policy modifications could be made within early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings to reduce sitting time among children during childcare. Eighty-seven educators from 11 ECEC centres participated in 11 focus groups between September 2013 and November 2013. Each focus group was audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. A semi-structured schedule was developed to investigate the educators’ perceptions of the influences on children’s sitting time at childcare. A problem–solution tree was developed to determine potential solutions for reducing total and prolonged sitting time in young children at childcare. Most educators were unaware of the high levels of sitting time among young children. Educators identified that childcare practices, the physical environment and the weather were factors that influenced children’s sitting time. Potential solutions to reduce sitting time were to break-up prolonged sitting time by using movement breaks, standing desks, movement transitions between activities, relocating key facilities around the space to promote movement, and integrating movement during learning activities. Also, educators suggested that posters could be used to increase awareness among educators about the benefits of reducing sitting time. Educators identified key practices that could be modified to reduce young children’s sitting time in childcare. These potential solutions should be evaluated to understand their effectiveness.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the participating educators from the childcare centres located in the Illawarra region and Tamara Raso (project manager). We would furthermore like to thank Christian Swann for his advice on managing and analysing the data.
Funding
This research was supported by a faculty grant by the University of Wollongong. Cliff was funded by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DE140101588). The funders of the study had no role in the design and conduct of the study: collection, management, analysis, or interpretation of the data: preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript: and decision to submit for publication.
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Ellis, Y.G., Cliff, D.P. & Okely, A.D. Childcare Educators’ Perceptions of and Solutions to Reducing Sitting Time in Young Children: A Qualitative Study. Early Childhood Educ J 46, 377–385 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-017-0867-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-017-0867-5