ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2020
The Effect of Upgrades to Childcare Outdoor Spaces on Preschoolers' Physical Activity: Findings from a Natural Experiment.
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- How can physical enrichment of school playgrounds improve movement behaviours and developmental outcomes in children and adolescents? A systematic review with meta-analysis.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Pooled it
- Environmental and practice factors associated with children's device-measured physical activity and sedentary time in early childhood education and care centres: a systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2022Pooled it
- Effects of the built environment on physical activity: a systematic review of longitudinal studies taking sex/gender into account.Environmental health and preventive medicine · 2020Pooled it
- Painted playgrounds for preschoolers' physical activity and fundamental motor skill improvement: a randomized controlled pilot trial of effectiveness.BMC pediatrics · 2023Trial
- Structured Activity and Free Outdoor Play in Early Childhood Education and Care: An OSRAC-P Observational Study of Physical Activity Intensity and Context.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Implementation strategies used in policy, systems, and environmental interventions addressing obesity-related outcomes in early childhood education settings: a systematic review.Implementation science communications · 2025Review
- Building an evaluation model for the motor health of preschool-aged children from the perspective of interdisciplinary integration.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Article
- The role of playgrounds in promoting children's health - a scoping review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2024Article
- Changing the preschool setting to promote healthy energy balance-related behaviours of preschoolers: a qualitative and quantitative process evaluation of the SuperFIT approach.Implementation science : IS · 2021Article
- Foundational Movement Skills and Play Behaviors during Recess among Preschool Children: A Compositional Analysis.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Physical Activity and the Home Environment of Pre-School-Aged Children in Urban Bangladesh.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- The Influence of the Early Childhood Education and Care Environment on Young Children's Physical Activity: Development and Reliability of the PLAYCE Study Environmental Audit and Educator Survey.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Diversified Talent Cultivation Mechanism of Early Childhood Physical Education Under the Full-Practice Concept - Oriented by Preschooler Mental Health and Intelligent Teaching.Frontiers in psychology · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Physical inactivity is a significant risk factor for childhood obesity. Preventing obesity in the early years reduces the risk of developing chronic health conditions later. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services are important settings to establish good preschooler physical activity behaviors. This natural experiment investigated the influence of ECEC outdoor physical environment upgrade on preschoolers' physical activity (aged 2-5 years). Centers implemented upgrades without researcher input. Physical activity was measured by 7-day accelerometry for intervention (n = 159; 6 centers) and control (n = 138; 5 centers) groups. ECEC outdoor space was assessed using a modified Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO) Instrument. Key outcomes were measured at baseline and 6-12 months follow-up. Fixed sandboxes, balls, portable slides, portable floor play equipment (e.g., tumbling mats), and natural grassed areas were positively associated with activity levels; fixed tunnels and twirling equipment were negatively associated with activity levels (all
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.