Determining the Efficacy and Effectiveness of a State-Sponsored Intervention Promoting Physical Activity and Nutrition in the Early Child Care Setting

Start Date: February 2009

ID #: 65784

Principal Investigator: Karen Wosje, PhD

Organization: Children's Hospital Medical Center

Funding Round: Rapid-Response Round 1

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This project seeks to determine the extent to which a successful state-sponsored program to improve the activity and nutrition environments of schools can be adapted successfully for child care centers. Investigators will evaluate the state-sponsored policy intervention that will begin in Montgomery County (Ohio) child care centers in April 2009. This natural experiment is timed such that investigators can evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of the intervention in the pilot county, using a nearby, demographically-matched control county (slated for a later roll-out of the same intervention) for comparison. The target study population for this work will include 162 licensed full-time child care centers in Montgomery County and 209 licensed full-time centers in demographically similar Hamilton County. The main outcome to be assessed is the six-month change in an overall the Physical Activity and Nutrition Score that reflects 24 environment characteristics addressed by the intervention. The impact of key covariates, such as race, on intervention effectiveness and participation will also be explored. In addition, investigators will conduct qualitative one-on-one interviews with directors of non-participant centers serving primarily low-income clientele in Montgomery County to assess barriers to participation.

Age Groups: Adults and Families, Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)

Race/Ethnicity: African American or Black, Multi-racial/ethnic, White

Keywords: Child Care/Preschool, Food service, Head Start, Physical activity, Urban

Focus Area: Early Childhood

Resource Type: Grant Summary

State: Ohio

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