1. 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
- Author
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Dooley, Erin E., Browning, Cari, Thi, Christina A., Hoelscher, Deanna M., and Byrd-Williams, Courtney E.
- 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.
- Published
- 2021
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