“GET-UP” study rationale and protocol: a cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effects of reduced sitting on toddlers’ cognitive development

Abstract

BackgroundThe educational and cognitive differences associated with low socioeconomic status begin early in life and tend to persist throughout life. Coupled with the finding that levels of sedentary time are negatively associated with cognitive development, and time spent active tends to be lower in disadvantaged circumstances, this highlights the need for interventions that reduce the amount of time children spend sitting and sedentary during childcare. The proposed study aims to assess the effects of reducing sitting time during Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services on cognitive development in toddlers from low socio-economic families.Methods/DesignWe will implement a 12-months 2-arm parallel group cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) with Australian toddlers, aged 12 to 26 months at baseline. Educators from the ECEC services allocated to the intervention group will receive professional development on how to reduce sitting time while children attend ECEC. Participants’ cognitive development will be assessed as a primary outcome, at baseline and post-intervention, using the cognitive sub-test from the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development.DiscussionThis trial has the potential to inform programs and policies designed to optimize developmental and health outcomes in toddlers, specifically in those from disadvantaged backgrounds.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12616000471482, 11/04/2016, retrospectively registered.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12887-016-0723-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The cross‐sectional and prospective associations between sleep characteristics and adiposity in toddlers: Results from the GET UP! Study

“…Study was a 12‐month cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) examining the effects of reducing sitting time on cognitive development and executive functions in Australian toddlers. The complete description of this RCT has been previously reported . Briefly, 30 early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres from the Illawarra region in New South Wales from a low to medium socioeconomic areas were recruited.…”

“…Body weight and height were measured according to standard procedures . Body height was measured to the nearest 0.1 cm in bare or stocking feet with the child standing upright against a portable stadiometer (Seca 254, Hamburg, Germany).…”

“…Body height was measured to the nearest 0.1 cm in bare or stocking feet with the child standing upright against a portable stadiometer (Seca 254, Hamburg, Germany). Body weight was measured to the nearest 0.10 kg, lightly dressed (and without diapers) using a portable electronic weight scale (Seca 254, Hamburg, Germany) . BMI was calculated as weight (kg) /height (m 2 ), and then, BMI z scores were then calculated by age and sex using the formula [BMI z score = (participant's value − mean value of the sample) /standard deviation].…”

“…The complete description of this RCT has been previously reported. 19 Briefly, 30 early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres from the Illawarra region in New South Wales from a low to medium socioeconomic areas were recruited. All children aged 12 to 26 months at baseline without any diagnosed medical or psychological impairment were eligible to participate if they attended the ECEC services full time (ie, >6 h/day) at least twice per week.…”

“…Adiposity Body weight and height were measured according to standard procedures. 19 Body height was measured to the nearest 0.1 cm in bare or stocking feet with the child standing upright against a portable stadiometer (Seca 254, Hamburg, Germany). Body weight was measured to the nearest 0.10 kg, lightly dressed (and without diapers) using a portable electronic weight scale (Seca 254, Hamburg, Germany).…”