Means of Optimizing Physical Activity in the Preschool Environment: A Commentary on Coe (2019)

Physical activity is a critical component of the young child’s development. Child care is an important settings for health promotion due in part to the large numbers of children enrolled and the many opportunities to educate and support the development of healthy behaviors. A recent review paper by Coe identified 16 intervention studies focused within the child care setting and their impact on preschool children’s physical activity. Coe examined the effectiveness of teacher training/professional development, teacher-led activity, and environmental features in supporting children’s physical activity. In this commentary, we discuss Coe’s results and identify important areas for future research. Coe found mixed results on the efficacy of these strategies to promote physical activity. Most of the interventions included multiple strategies and many targeted multiple levels of focus, including attempts to modify children’s behavior through curricula delivered to children, teacher-led activities, and modifications in the indoor and outdoor space. In addition to strategies focused on children and teachers, policy changes may be useful in promoting children’s physical activity while in child care. This could include state level policies setting standards for licensing and/or requirements for achieving quality rating standards, as well as center policies regarding physical activity. Future research should examine how best to train teachers to promote physical activity, isolate what component of the outdoor environment contribute to children’s activity, and identify how to