264957 Association between compliance with NYC child care regulations and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in children attending child care centers

Monday, October 29, 2012 : 2:50 PM - 3:10 PM

Robert Stephens, PhD , ICF International, Atlanta, GA
Ye Xu, MPH , Public Health Division, ICF Macro, New York, NY
Catherine Lesesne, PhD, MPH , ICF International, Atlanta, GA
Lillian Dunn, MPH , Parks & Schools, New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY
Jan Jernigan, PhD , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
This presentation examines findings from a two-phase evaluation of New York City (NYC) group child care regulations on physical activity of children in child care settings. The regulations set specific amounts of time children in a child care setting should be physically active. Research examined whether compliance with requirements to offer 30 minutes of structured, and at least 60 minutes of total, physical activity to children each day positively predicts children's physical activity levels.

A total of 1,278 children from 109 centers participated in accelerometry data collection and had complete data for analysis. Using compliance data from Phases I and II, a four-category compliance score was created, and physical activity was record using acceleromters. Multilevel modeling assessed effects of center- and child-level factors on amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA).

Children spent 5.10 minutes per hour in MVPA on average while in child care. The amount of MVPA tended to be greater for children attending centers that were compliant with the regulation for 60 minutes of total physical activity per day, though only marginally significant (p < .10). Implications of the findings with regard to policy suggest the NYC regulations may have beneficial effects on children's physical activity levels.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Attendees will identify 1) aspects of NYC regulations that address physical activity requirements for children in group child care settings, 2) the use of accelerometers for recording physical activity levels in pre-school age children, and 3) the impact of compliance with the regulations on children’s physical activity.

Keywords: Child Care, Physical Activity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been a technical director for multiple evaluations focusing on the child physical and mental health. I have more than 20 years of experience as a research psychologist in a variety of settings providing consultation on experimental design, instrument development, and statistical analysis of longitudinal data.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.