Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Effectiveness Of Physical Activity Interventions For Preschoolers: A Meta-Analysis, Patricia Tucker, Elliott Gordon, Shauna Burke, Albert Carron

Trish Tucker

Purpose: The purpose of the meta-analysis was to examine the effectiveness of physical activity interventions on physical activity participation among preschoolers. A secondary purpose was to investigate the influence of several possible moderator variables (e.g., intervention length, location, leadership, type) on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Method: Nine databases were systematically searched for physical activity interventions. Studies were included if they contained statistics necessary to compute an effect size (ES), were written in or translated into English, examined physical activity in preschoolers, incorporated a physical activity intervention, and targeted preschool-aged children. Fifteen studies satisfied these criteria. ESs were calculated using a …