Trish Tucker

The University of Western Ontario | UWO · School of Occupational Therapy

Background Childhood obesity remains a serious public health concern. Community-based childhood obesity treatment interventions have the potential to improve health behaviors and outcomes among children, but require thorough evaluation to facilitate translation of research into practice. The purpose of the current study was to determine the feasibi...

Introduction: Children with disabilities may be unable engage playground spaces due to barriers exacerbating exclusion. Therefore, clarity on how to evaluate existing playgrounds for inclusivity of children with disabilities is required. Methods: A scoping review was undertaken to explore auditing tools. Results: Fourteen white and grey litera...

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in closures of physical-activity-supporting environments, including playgrounds, outdoor recreation facilities (e.g., basketball courts), and community centers, which impacted children’s movement opportunities. This study evaluated changes in Ontario children’s physical activity levels during the COVID-19 pandemic and...

Background: Children's temperament has been noted to influence their physical activity (PA) levels. Therefore, understanding the influence of temperament during the early years may be helpful for developing appropriate PA habits and tailoring interventions to align with different personality traits. Objective: The purpose of this study was to ex...

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a large influence on children’s physical activity (i.e., play and sport) opportunities. The purpose of this study was to describe parents’ perspectives of their children’s (ages 0–12) physical activity experiences during the pandemic (i.e., since the onset in March 2020 until follow-up survey completion date [between A...

Little is known about how wake-time movement behaviour compositions while in childcare relate to children's health and development. This study aimed to use compositional analysis to examine how childcare movement behaviour compositions were associated with standardised body mass index (zBMI) and physical and psychosocial functioning among children...

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures have interrupted the daily routines of parents and children. The purpose of this study was to explore parents’ attitudes regarding their children’s play/sport during COVID-19. A secondary objective was to explore the influence of parent demographics and parent-reported physical activity le...

Introduction: Physical activity in the early years is necessary for setting the foundation for healthy growth and development in later childhood and adolescence. While most published evidence to date focuses on typically developing children, prevalence rates of physical activity among children with disabilities have been less studied. This protoco...

Background COVID-19 has drastically changed the everyday lives of children, including limiting interactions with peers, loss of regularly organized activities, and closure of schools and recreational facilities. While COVID-19 protocols are in place to reduce viral transmission, they have affected children’s access to physical activity opportunitie...

Background Although playgrounds are designed to promote outdoor play, children with disabilities may be unable to engage in these spaces due to intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Previous research has examined inclusive/accessible playground design when developing new playgrounds; however, it is unclear if there is a best-practice tool for evaluating...

Early childhood educators (ECEs) play a vital role in encouraging healthy physical activity (PA) in childcare. As such, measuring ECEs’ self-efficacy to facilitate such programming is important. The ECE Confidence in Outdoor Movement, PA, and Sedentary and Screen Behaviors (ECE-COMPASS) questionnaire (30 items) was developed via expert consensus. A...

Background: Early childhood educators (ECEs) influence young children's early uptake of positive health behaviours in childcare settings and serve as important daytime role models. As such, it is imperative that post-secondary early childhood education programs provide students with the foundational knowledge and professional training required to...

Background Childcare-based physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) interventions have traditionally used in-person training to supplement early childhood educators’ (ECEs) knowledge and confidence to facilitate physically active programming for the children in their care. However, this method of delivery is resource-intensive and unable...

BACKGROUND Although playgrounds are designed to promote outdoor play, children with disabilities may be unable to engage in these spaces due to intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Previous research has examined inclusive/accessible playground design when developing new playgrounds; however, it is unclear if there is a best-practice tool for evaluating...

Early childhood educators (ECEs) are highly influential role models in the childcare setting with respect to encouraging physical activity and outdoor play, and minimizing sedentary behavior among children in childcare. Measuring ECEs’ behavioral intention (BI) and perceived behavioral control (PBC) is one way to monitor their determination and abi...

Background: Early childhood educators (ECEs) are the primary daytime role models for many young children, and are responsible for facilitating physical activity (PA) opportunities and minimizing sedentary behaviour (SB) in childcare. However, they have reportedly received little related education in their pre-service training. The purpose of the T...

Background The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures have resulted in the closure of many physical activity-supporting facilities. This study examined Ontario parents’ and children’s perspectives of COVID-19’s impact on children’s physical activity behaviours, return to play/sport during COVID-19, as well as barriers/facilitators...

Background Public health measures such as physical distancing and work-from-home initiatives have been implemented to slow the spread of COVID-19. These measures may also be associated with unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, which could be particularly problematic for those already at highest risk for losing years of healthy life due to chronic disease...

Background This study preliminarily examined the relationship between physical activity, sedentary time, and social emotional functioning in children aged 4–6 years. Methods Eighty children attending kindergarden classes in Ottawa, Canada wore Actical accelerometers for 1-week to directly assess their physical activity and sedentary time. Physical...

Early childhood educators’ (ECEs) self-efficacy is often predictive of their ability and likelihood of promoting healthy activity behaviors in childcare settings. To date, ECEs’ physical activity and sedentary behavior–related self-efficacy has been measured in a variety of ways in childcare-based research, creating difficulty when comparing across...

Background: The importance of daily physical activity is crucial for healthy development during the early years. Currently, a formal written physical activity policy is lacking in Canadian childcare centers, but holds promise for offering consistent physical activity opportunities. With eight recommendations, the Childcare PLAY policy is an evidenc...

Background: Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) offers many health benefits for preschoolers (2.5-5 y). In childcare, MVPA is predominantly accumulated outdoors, with higher rates purported among children within the first few minutes outside. The Supporting Physical Activity in the Childcare Environment intervention included shorter, mor...

Interviews were conducted with 16 elementary school teachers across Canada (eight generalists and eight physical education [PE] specialists) to explore their experiences when instructing PE. Questions were phrased to encourage exploration of the perspectives of generalists and specialists, with a particular focus on teaching philosophy, barriers fa...

The Childcare PhysicaL ActivitY (PLAY) policy was an evidence-informed, eight-item institutional-level policy document targeting children’s physical activity, outdoor play, and sedentary time. Nine childcare centers in London, Ontario, participated in this cluster, randomized controlled trial. Early Childhood Educators allocated to the experimental...

Background Early childhood educators (ECEs) play a critical role in promoting physical activity (PA) among preschoolers in childcare; thus, PA-related training for ECEs is essential. The Supporting PA in the Childcare Environment (SPACE) intervention incorporated: 1. shorter, more frequent outdoor play sessions; 2. provision of portable play equipm...

Objectives To understand experiences with and measure the effect of mobile standing desks (MSD) on undergraduates’ sedentary time (ST). Participants Two samples of full-time undergraduates in Fall 2018. Methods Study 1 (n = 21): baseline average daily ST was measured via activPAL4TM inclinometers and the NIGHTLY-WEEK-U questionnaire for 7 days. P...

Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate Ontario adults’ reported sleep quantity, quality, and disturbances during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-July 2020). Methods As part of a larger, chronic disease-focused, and ongoing longitudinal study designed to explore Ontario adults’ health and wellness-related behaviors...

The purpose of this study was to provide a detailed and systematic outline of how a theoretical behaviour change framework was applied in the development of ParticipACTION’s app to support a more active Canada. The app development process was guided by the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) framework, a theoretically-based approach for intervention devel...

Background Early childhood educators play a prominent role in promoting healthy activity behaviours in childcare. However, they have expressed that they lack the appropriate pre-service training to confidently lead physical activity (PA), and minimize sedentary behaviour (SB), in childcare. As such, the purpose of this Delphi study was to generate...

Adults and children in Canada are not meeting physical activity guidelines nor consuming sufficient nutrient-rich foods. High engagement in these unhealthy behaviours can lead to obesity and its associated diseases. Parent-child interventions aimed at obesity prevention/treatment have assisted families with making positive changes to their nutritio...

Educators strongly influence young children's behaviors, and their perspectives regarding physical activity (PA) and screen-viewing (SV) may influence their provision in childcare. This study gathered early childhood education (ECE) candidates' perspectives regarding: 1. the importance of their role(s) in promoting PA/reducing SV; 2. how their ECE...

Background: Early experiences in physical activity (PA) are important to shape healthy movement behaviours long-term; as such, it is critical that PA is promoted from infancy, and that detrimental behaviours (e.g., prolonged sedentary time [ST]) are minimized. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine infants' and todd...

This qualitative study explored the coaching-related experiences of clients (parents who were overweight/obese) and coaches who participated in a 3-month obesity intervention. Semistructured interviews were conducted at multiple time points and were audio-recorded and analysed by question and via inductive content analysis. Clients reported increas...

To evaluate the validity of two weekly sedentary time (ST) questionnaires adapted from the Past‐Day‐Adults’ Sedentary Time – University (PAST‐U): the PAST‐WEEK‐U (Study 1) and the NIGHTLY‐WEEK‐U (Study 2), in a homogenous sample of undergraduate students by comparison with criterion data obtained using the activPAL4TM inclinometer. In Study 1, unde...

Background: Young children are prone to low levels of physical activity in childcare. This environment, inclusive of equipment, policies, and staff, has been identified as influencing young children’s activity behaviours. To date, no study has examined the feasibility and effectiveness of such policies in Canadian childcare centres, while the provi...

Children’s physical activity levels are higher at the start of outdoor playtime, which suggests that shorter, more frequent play periods might result in greater amounts of daily physical activity. In this extension of the Supporting Physical Activity in the Childcare Environment (SPACE) cluster randomized controlled trial, we explored the impact of...

Background: Recently, our team implemented a 13-week group-based intervention for parents of children with obesity (“C.H.A.M.P. Families”). The primary objective of this study was to explore, qualitatively, parents’ perspectives of their experiences in and influence of C.H.A.M.P. Families, as well as their recommendations for future paediatric obes...

Background: Children's sedentary lifestyles and low physical activity levels may be countered using population-level interventions. This study examines factors influencing the use of a free community-wide physical activity access pass for grade 5 students (G5AP). Methods: A natural experiment with longitudinal data collection. A sample of 881 ch...

Background In Canada, a majority of children and adults are insufficiently active for health gains, and about one in seven children and over 20% of adults are overweight or obese. Overweight and obesity are risk factors for many chronic diseases in both adults and children and can result in lower quality and quantity of life. Children whose parents...

Background Physical activity (PA) offers numerous health benefits for young children; however, many children enrolled in childcare engage in low levels of PA and high levels of sedentary time. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and content of written PA and screen-viewing (SV) policies in Canadian childcare centers. Methods Using a modifi...

Background: Early childhood educators greatly influence young children's physical activity and screen-viewing behaviours in childcare. However, educators have requested additional training in physical activity programming, and one logical place to provide this education is during their pre-service schooling. This study explored the physical activi...

Purpose : We aimed to explore and compare generalist and physical education (PE) specialist (males and females) elementary teachers’ self-efficacy to teach and the barriers perceived when teaching PE. Methods : Canadian elementary school teachers completed the validated online survey, Teacher Efficacy Scale in PE, with 11 additional questions exami...

Childhood obesity represents a significant global health challenge, and treatment interventions are needed. The purpose of this paper is to describe the components and theoretical model that was used in the development and implementation of a unique parent-focussed paediatric overweight/obesity intervention. C.H.A.M.P. Families was a single-centre,...

Background Many preschoolers spend a substantial portion of their day enrolled in centre-based childcare; the amounts of physical activity and sedentary time accumulated in this environment are critical to preschoolers’ ability to meet movement guidelines. The purpose of this systematic review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the objectiv...

Objectives Physical activity patterns can track from childhood into adulthood; therefore, establishing active behaviors early is imperative. Given the multidimensional nature of a mother’s influence on their children, there is a need to utilize more comprehensive measures to assess the relationship between mother and child activity behaviors. Speci...

This study describes the process evaluation of the Supporting Physical Activity in the Childcare Environment (SPACE) intervention, consisting of educator physical activity training, provision of portable play equipment, and a modified outdoor schedule (i.e., 4 × 30-minute periods). Educators (N = 49) from 11 childcare centers in London, Ontario, Ca...

Background: Within the childcare sector, physical activity and sedentary behaviors are not legislated at a national level in Canada. Efforts have been undertaken to identify factors within childcare facilities which support and deter physical activity and sedentary behaviors. The purpose of this paper was to provide an amended review of the legisl...

Background: Being active offers many physical and emotional benefits contributing to a higher health-related quality of life (HRQoL); however, this relationship remains unexplored among preschoolers (2.5-5 years). This study examined the impact of the Supporting Physical Activity in the Childcare Environment (SPACE); an intervention implemented us...

The purpose of this study was to explore individual-level socio-demographic factors and interpersonal-level factors related to social support, as well as the potential role of neighborhood and school environments that may influence the physical activity (PA) levels of children (ages 9–11). Child and parent questionnaires included individual and int...

Background Physical activity levels among preschoolers in childcare are low and sedentary time high. The Supporting Physical Activity in the Childcare Environment (SPACE) intervention had three components: 1. portable play equipment; 2. staff training; and, 3. modified outdoor playtime (i.e., shorter, more frequent periods). This study aimed to exa...

Background: Many young children are not meeting the Canadian physical activity guidelines. In an effort to change this, the term "active play" has been used to promote increased physical activity levels. Within this young cohort, physical activity is typically achieved in the form of active play behaviour. The current study aimed to review and syn...

Establishing appropriate physical activity and sedentary behaviours during early childhood is important to ensure children accrue the many associated health benefits. While physical activity levels have been reported as low within early learning programs, little research has explored the physical activity and sedentary time of Canadian preschoolers...

Objective To compare physical activity and sedentary time among young children whose schools adhere to traditional (i.e. three outdoor playtimes = 70 minutes) versus balanced day (i.e. two outdoor playtimes = ~55 minutes) schedules in Ontario full-day kindergarten classrooms. Design The project was part of a larger, 2-year cross-sectional study....

Background Young children are prone to low levels of physical activity in childcare. Researchers have identified that preschoolers tend to be more active outdoors than indoors, with higher activity levels occurring during the first 10 minutes of outdoor playtime. Additionally, interventions incorporating either staff training or the inclusion of pl...

Objective: To assess and compare the nutrition environment and practices (as they relate to pre-schoolers) of centre- and home-based child-care facilities. Design: Using a cross-sectional study design, nineteen child-care facilities (ten centre-based, nine home-based) were assessed for one full day using the Environment and Policy Assessment and...

Background: Physical activity during childhood is associated with a multitude of physical, behavioural, and psychological health benefits. Identification of effective population level strategies for increasing children's physical activity levels is critical for improving the overall health of Canadians. The overall objective of this study is to as...

Despite their wide usage, it has recently been suggested that stroller use may reduce physical activity levels of young children. However, there have been no studies on stroller use as it relates to physical activity outcomes. The objectives of this study were to understand the context of stroller use for young children and parents' perceptions of...

Background: Little evidence exists on the physical activity and sedentary time of Canadian toddlers; this study objectively measured such behaviors and compared participants' activity levels to national guidelines. Levels of screen-viewing among toddlers were also explored. Methods: Forty toddlers (mean age = 25.7 months) wore Actical accelerome...

Background: Recent research has highlighted the need for increased evidence regarding the sedentary activity levels of preschoolers. Given the large proportion of time this population spends in various early learning facilities, the exploration of sedentary behaviors within this particular environment should be a priority. The purpose of the study...

This study aimed to: (a) compare the physical activity (PA) levels (i.e., moderate-to-vigorous PA [MVPA] and total PA [TPA]) of preschoolers in 3 different early-learning environments (center-based childcare, home-based childcare, and full-day kindergarten [FDK]); and (b) assess which characteristics (e.g., play equipment, policies, etc.) of these...

Young children's activity and sedentary time were simultaneously measured via the Actical method (i.e., Actical accelerometer and Pfeiffer et al.'s cut-points) and the ActiGraph method (i.e., ActiGraph accelerometer and Pate et al.'s cut-points) at both 15s and 60s epochs to explore possible differences between these two measurement approaches. For...

This study sought to assess the influence of preschoolers' temperament on their objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time. Actical™ accelerometers were used to measure preschoolers' from London, Canada's (n= 216; 2.5-5. years) physical activity and sedentary levels during childcare hours (5 consecutive days; 15. s epoch). The Child...

To assess the physical activity and sedentary behaviors of a sample of Latino children in London, Ontario, Canada. Seventy-four Latino children (54.1% male; mean age = 11.4) completed self-report questionnaires related to physical activity and sedentary behaviors. A subset of children (n = 64) wore Actical (Mini Mitter, Respironics) accelerometers...

Translating formal and informal knowledge into public health (PH) action is essential given that PH professionals rely on up-to-date and context-specific information for effective programme planning, implementation, and evaluation. Knowledge management (KM) provides possible solutions to this challenge. We conducted an evaluation of a pilot impleme...

The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity is a global public health concern. Numerous experts have noted that comprehensive treatment methods are required to address this complex condition. The Children’s Health and Activity Modification Program (C.H.A.M.P.), a 4-week intervention delivered in a unique camp-based format, was developed for chil...

This study sought to examine how the physical activity levels and sedentary time of preschoolers attending center-based childcare varied across the week. Sex differences were also explored. Participants (n = 101) wore Actical™ accelerometers (15 s epoch) for five consecutive days during childcare hours only. A multivariate repeated measures analysi...