Skip to main content
. 2016 Dec 17;47(7):1349–1374. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0656-0

Table 2.

Summary of studies included to assess determinants of PA levels in young children: study design, samples and setting

References Study design/name Population Age at start (mean ± SD and/or range) Setting
Prospective studies
 Ball et al. (2009), Cleland et al. (2008), Cleland et al. (2011) [6062]
Australia
Prospective cohort—CLAN 19 public elementary schools n = 168 (stratified by low/med/high SES) 5–6 y Schools
 Reilly et al. (2004) [79] UK Prospective cohort—SPARKLE Community level stratification n = 72 (51% M) 3.7 ± 0.5 y Community
 Saakslahti et al. (2004) [77] Finland Prospective cohort Cohort of children n = 155 (53% M) 4–7 y Study subsample
 Taylor et al. (2008) [78] New Zealand Prospective cohort—FLAME Population-based n = 244 (56% M; 86% W, 11% Maori, 3% PI; higher SES) 2.96–3.15 Birth cohort
intervention studies
 Alhassan et al. (2007) [40] USA Pre-post; quasi-randomised 1 Low-income preschool n = 32 (63% M, predominantly Latino) C: 3.59 ± 0.5
I: 3.89 ± 0.5
Headstart
 Alhassan et al. (2012) [52]
USA
Pre-post; quasi-randomised 2 preschools n = 78 (49% M; 39% AA, 61% H; 65% single-family homes) C: 4.1 ± 0.6
I: 4.5 ± 0.6
Preschools
 Alhassan et al. (2013) [53]
USA
RCT—SPARK 2 preschools
n (baseline) = 75; n (follow-up) = 67 (57% M)
2.9–5 y Preschools
 Annesi et al. (2013) [54]
USA
cRCT—Start for Life 32 classrooms n = 275 (44% M; predominantly AA) 3.5–5.6 y (4.6 ± 0.5 y) YMCA preschools
 Annesi et al. (2013) [47]
USA
cRCT—Start for Life 19 classrooms
n = 338 (46% M; lower/lower–middle class; 92% AA)
C: 4.7±0.3
I: 4.6±0.6
YMCA preschools
 Annesi et al. (2013) [46]
USA
cRCT—Start for Life 26 classrooms n = 885 (46% M; lower/lower–middle class; 92% AA) 3.5–5.6 y (4.4 ± 0.5 y) YMCA preschools
 Bellows et al. (2013) [67]
USA
RCT—The Food Friends: Get Movin’ with Mighty Moves 8 lower income Headstart centres n = 201 (55% M; 59% H, 32% W, 9% O) I: 53.0 ± 6.8 mo
C: 51.5 ± 6.6 mo
Headstart centres
 Bonvin et al. (2013) [50]
Switzerland
RCT—Youp’là Bouge 58 childcare centres n = 388 (50% M; 18% low educated parents; 58% migrant parents) I: 3.4 ± 0.6 y
C: 3.3 ± 0.6 y
Childcare centres in 3 French-speaking Cantons
 Cardon et al. (2009) [41]
Belgium
RCT 40 preschools n = 583 (52% M) 5.3 ± 0.4 y Public preschools
Cottrell et al. (2005) [42]
USA
RCT—CARDIAC-Kinder 29 preschools n (baseline) = 203 (49% M; 93% W) n (follow-up) = 50 5 ± 0.47 y Preschools
 Davis et al. (2013) [69] USA Pilot intervention Teen mothers, n = 60
(61% M; 73% AA; 16% W; 7% NA; 4% O)
0–53 mo (15.7 ± 13.4) Child development programme
 Davison et al. (2013) [81]
USA
Pilot intervention 5 Headstart centres n (baseline) = 117
(45% M; 68% W; 22% AA; 6% non-H; 4% O) n (follow-up) = 57
3.59 ± 1.01 y Headstart centres
 De Bock et al. (2013) [49]
Germany
cRCT 37 preschools
n (baseline) = 809 (52% M; low income: 25%, middle income: 55%) n (follow-up) = 467
5.05 y Preschools
 De Coen et al. (2012) [71]
Belgium
cRCT
“Prevention of overweight among pre-school and school children (POP)”
31 schools across high, medium and low SES
n = 1589 at baseline (I: 1032; C:557)
n = 694 at 2 year (I: 396 C: 298)
4.95 ± 1.31 y Pre-primary and primary schools
 De Craemer et al. (2014) [64]
Belgium
cRCT—Toybox 27 kindergartens in Flanders n = 472 (55% M) 4.43 ± 0.55 y Kindergartens
 Elder et al. (2014) [72] USA RCT “MOVE/Me Muevo” 30 sites n = 541 (45% M; 41% H) 6.6 ± 0.7 y Recreation centres
 Eliakim et al. (2007) [65]
Israel
RCT 4 preschools n = 101 (55% M; upper middle class) 5.5 y Preschools
 Engelen et al. (2013) [48]
Australia
cRCT 12 schools n = 221 (54% M; ICSEA: 980–1170) 6.0 ± 0.6 y Catholic primary schools
 Fitzgibbon et al. (2005) [11] USA cRCT—Hip-Hop to Health Jr 12 Headstart centres
n = 409
(50% M; I: 99% AA, 1% O; C: 80.7% AA, 12.7% H, 6.6% O)
I: 48.6 ± 7.6 mo; C: 50.8 ± 6.4 mo Headstart centres
 Fitzgibbon et al. (2006) [55] USA cRCT—Hip-Hop to Health Jr 12 Headstart centres
n = 293 (50% M; I: 15.8% AA, 73.3% H, 10.9% O; C: 6.5% AA, 89.4% H, 4.0% O)
I: 50.8 ± 7.3 mo; C: 51.0 ± 7.0 mo Headstart centres
 Fitzgibbon et al. (2011) [56] USA cRCT—Hip-Hop to Health 18 Headstart centres n (baseline) = 223 (44% M; I: 97% AA, 1% H, 2% O; C: 91% AA, 5% H, 4% O) n (follow-up) = 190 I: 50.7 ± 6.8 mo
C: 51.9 ± 6.3 mo
Headstart programmes
 Fitzgibbon et al. (2013) [73] USA cRCT—Hip-Hop to Health 4 centres n (baseline) = 146 (50% M; 94% H; 2% AA; 4% O) n (follow-up) = 123 54.2 ± 5.0 mo Early childhood education programmes
 Hannon and Brown (2008) [37]
USA
Pre-post intervention 1 centre n = 64 (47% M; predominantly W) 3.9 ± 0.8 y Preschool
 Jones et al. (2011) [83] Australia Non-randomised pilot
“Time 2b Healthy”
Overweight preschool children and parents; n (baseline) = 46 (~80% parents had degree/tech trade cert)
n (follow-up) = 40
2–5 y Home based
 Jones et al. (2011) [51] Australia Pilot RCT “Jump Start” 2 low-income centres
n = 97
4.1 y Preschools
 Klohe-Lehman et al. (2007) [58] USA Non-randomised trial Low-income, overweight or obese mothers n=235
(62.6% H)
1–3 y (mean 2.1 y) Public health clinics / groups
 O’Dwyer et al. (2012) [44] UK cRCT 8 preschools n = 79 (52% M) <5 y Home based
O’Dwyer et al. (2013) [45] UK cRCT 12 centres n = 240 (56% M; I: 84.3% W; C:75.3 W) 3.7 ± 0.6 y Sure Start centres
 Ostbye et al. (2012) [74] USA RCT—KAN-DO Patient records n = 400 (56% M) 3.1 ± 1.0 y Healthcare
 Puder et al. (2011) [75] Switzerland cRCT - Ballerbina 40 centres n = 652 (50% M; 40% speak foreign language at home; 62% with 2 educated parents) 5.1 ± 0.7 y Preschools
 Stark et al. (2011) [76] USA Pilot RCT “LAUNCH” Children with BMI ≥ 95th% and 1+ overweight parent
n = 15
2–5 y (mean 4.7 ± 1.1 y) Home and clinics
 Stratton and Mullan (2005) [39] UK Pilot RCT 4 schools n = 54 (46% M; low SES areas) 4–7 y Primary schools
 Trost et al. (2008)
[38] USA
RCT—Move and Learn 1 centre n = 42 (55% M; 23.7% with high school diploma) 4.1 ± 0.7 y Childcare centre
 van Cauwenerghe et al. (2012) [43]
Belgium
Pilot intervention 4 preschools n = 128 (55% M) 4–6 y Preschools
 Verbestel et al. (2013) [70]
Belgium
Pilot RCT 60 centres
n = 203 (54% M)
15.5 ± mo Daycare centres
 Wen et al. (2012, 2015)
[84, 106] Australia
Non-randomised intervention
“Healthy Beginnings”
Low-income mothers n = 465 (11% spoke language other than English at home) From birth WIC sites
 Whaley et al. (2010) [57] USA Non-randomised trial
“Child health and intervention research project” (CHIRP)
Low-income mothers n (baseline) = 821, (94% H; 50% mothers of M); n (follow-up) = 589 1–5 y (mean 23 ± 9.2 mo) WIC sites
 Yin et al. (2012) [66] USA Pre-post intervention 4 centres n = 390 (59% M; 62% normal weight; predominantly H) 4.1 ± 0.56 y Headstart centres

PA physical activity, RCT randomised controlled trial, cRCT cluster randomised controlled trial, CLAN Children Living in Active Neighbourhoods, KAN-DO Kids and Adults Now – Defeat Obesity!, SPARK Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids, SPARKLE Study of Preschool Activity, Lifestyle and Energetics, LAUNCH Learning about Activity and Understanding Nutrition for Child Health, FLAME Family Lifestyle, Activity, Movement, and Eating, CARDIAC Coronary Artery Risk Detection In Appalachian Communities, ICSEA Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage, I intervention group, C control group, SES socio-economic status, M male, W White, AA African American, H Hispanic, NA Native American, O other racial group, PI Pacific Islander, BMI body mass index, cert certificate, med medium, y years, mo months, WIC women, infants and children, SD standard deviation