Association of the Quality Rating and Improvement System, Texas Rising Star, on Physical Activity and Screen Time Policies and Practices in Texas Child Care Centers.
Am J Health Promot
; 35(7): 984-987, 2021 09.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1159401
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) are systems approaches to assist states in providing high quality early childhood education. Texas Rising Star (TRS), a voluntary QRIS, exceeds state licensing standards and meets some obesity prevention guidelines. This study examines differences in physical activity, screen time, and outdoor policies and practices by QRIS certification.DESIGN:
Cross-sectional.SETTING:
Online. SAMPLE After exclusion criteria, respondents were 431 Texas childcare centers.MEASURES:
2016 survey of policies and Go NAPSACC best practices.ANALYSIS:
Chi-square and t-tests indicated differences in 1) practices and 2) policies by QRIS status.RESULTS:
TRS-certified centers reported more policies for physical activity (M = 4.57 ± 3.07 vs. 3.61 ± 2.95, p = 0.009) and screen time (M = 1.91 ± 1.84 vs. 1.28 ± 1.56, p < 0.001) than non-certified centers. TRS-certified centers reported significantly higher frequencies for 7 of 14 physical activity practices, however no significant differences for screen time practices were found. Additionally, TRS-certified centers reported more outdoor practices, including more classrooms/storage (p < 0.001) and vegetable gardens (p = 0.025).CONCLUSION:
TRS-certified centers reported more physical activity policies and practices, more screen time policies, and more outdoor practices. TRS certification was not associated with screen time practices. QRIS can be a practical way to insert obesity prevention in early care and education. Using items from a widely used survey enables comparisons, however future research is needed in larger-scale studies. Some COVID-19 implications are discussed.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Screen Time
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
Am J Health Promot
Journal subject:
Public Health
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
08901171211003826
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