ArticleBMC pediatrics2020
A qualitative study reporting maternal perceptions of the importance of play for healthy growth and development in the first two years of life.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring the perception of parents on children's screentime: a systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.Pediatric research · 2023Pooled it
- Building knowledge, optimising physical and mental health and setting up healthier life trajectories in South African women (BMJ open · 2022Trial
- Examining maternal health literacy as a mediator of the relationship between social vulnerability and caregiving practices for improving infant development.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Determining the perceived acceptability of an intervention designed to improve health literacy around developmentally appropriate play during infancy, with a community advisory group of mothers, in Soweto, South Africa.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Suboptimal movement behaviours among children under two years old in early childhood education institutions in urban China: A cross-sectional study.Journal of global health · 2023Article
- Embedding Play to Enrich Physical Therapy.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIn order for infants and toddlers to meet recommended movement guidelines, their caregivers need to encourage play daily. This study used a qualitative approach to understand how mothers perceive and promote play and physical activity during the first 2 years of life.
methodsMothers with children between 0 and 24 months were recruited from the SAMRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit in Soweto, South Africa. 19 mothers agreed to participate and were grouped into three focus group discussions (FGDs) by age of the child: 0-6-months, 7-14-months, and 15-24-months. Thereafter, 12 mothers (4 from each FGD) were selected for inclusion in in-depth interviews (IDIs). After coding and theme/sub-theme identification had been completed for all IDIs, a process of cross-cutting theme identification and confirmation across FGDs and IDIs was carried out.
resultsThe mothers were (mean ± SD) 27 (6) years old. All mothers had attended secondary school, but only nine had matriculated. Only one mother was married (and lived with the child's father), and the majority (n = 15) were unemployed. Most children were male (63%) and were aged 11 (7) months. Four main themes emerged: 1) Physical activity as an indicator for health, 2) Promoting play and development, 3) Gender bias in play, and 4) Screen time.
conclusionsThis study showed that developmental attainment was the most important outcome for mothers, and so focussing intervention content on the promotion of child development through movement is advised. Screen time was freely available to children, and we recommend educating mothers on the movement guidelines, with a particular focus on the detrimental effects of screen time in this age group. Mothers reported many barriers to promoting play, and these are essential to consider when designing interventions in this context, in order to allow for equal opportunities for play to be provided to all children.
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Registered trials
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