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Make Physical Activity (PA) a STAPLE in Children's Lives: Development of a Mnemonic to Assist Parents of Preschoolers in Planning PA Opportunities for their Children
Author(s) -
Golem Devon,
MartinBiggers Jennifer,
ByrdBredbenner Carol
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.624.2
Subject(s) - mnemonic , operationalization , psychology , developmental psychology , childhood obesity , overweight , pace , obesity , medicine , philosophy , epistemology , cognitive psychology , geodesy , geography
Higher PA levels during early childhood are linked with healthy weight, motor skill proficiency, and healthy PA habits later in life. Many preschoolers do not meet PA recommendations, often because parents are not aware of or do not know how to operationalize them. A comprehensive literature review (n=58 articles) conducted using IOM's LEAD framework for obesity prevention documented PA levels, recommendations, and correlates for preschoolers. A mnemonic applying literature findings for PA benefits, guidelines and tips for parents was created. The mnemonic, based on Social Cognitive Theory, includes S pace (for activity), T wo‐hours (goal/day) with half this time for planned A ctivity and half for P lay (unstructured activity), L eadership (let child choose activities), and E ncourage (child to be active and modeling PA). Key informant interviews (n=10 parents, n=8 experts) validated the figure and documented its perceived utility to change parent PA behavioral intentions. Overall, informants felt the mnemonic was useful and enlightening. Mnemonics, like the one developed in this study that present a synthesis of research findings in a “matter‐of‐fact” manner, could help parents explore and resolve ambivalence or resistance toward behavior change, strengthen motivation for change, and reduce preschoolers’ obesity risk and associated health outcomes. Grant Funding Source : United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Grant Number 2011–68001‐30170