Trish Tucker

Western University | UWO · School of Occupational Therapy

Background Physical activity and sedentary time are independently associated with health and developmental outcomes in preschool children. However, the integrated nature of these behaviours on early life outcomes, particularly during childcare hours, is currently understudied. As such, the aim of this study was to examine the association between pr...

Background Children’s physical inactivity is a persisting international public health concern. While there is a large body of literature examining physical activity interventions for children, the unique physical activity context of low-density communities in rural areas and smaller urban centres remains largely underexplored. With an influx of fam...

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to compare estimated levels of physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) of preschool-aged children (3–5 years old) based on different published accelerometer cut-points used in this age group. Four electronic databases were searched to identify studies estimating levels of PA or ST (ST, light PA...

Purpose : This study examined the effectiveness of an early childhood educator (ECE)-focused physical activity e-Learning course on children’s physical activity and sedentary time in childcare. Methods : A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 12 childcare centers in London, Ontario, Canada. A total of 145 preschoolers and 42 ECEs pa...

Background Early childhood educators play a critical role in promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary time in childcare centres. However, early childhood educators receive limited specialised pre- and in-service learning opportunities relating to these behaviours and may lack the capacity to effectively engage children in healthy movement...

Background Capacity building may play an important role in improving classroom teachers’ and early childhood educators’ (ECE) capacity to implement physical activity and FMS interventions. Capacity building is the development of knowledge, skills, and structures to improve the capability of individuals and organisations to achieve effective health...

Background Engaging in healthy movement behaviours in early childhood is beneficial for children’s development, and parents play a critical role in shaping movement habits during these formative years. This study aimed to explore parents’ knowledge of the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (The Guidelines) and their perceived...

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the mental health of individuals globally. However, less is known about the characteristics that contributed to some people having mental health problems during the pandemic, while others did not. Mental health problems can be understood on a continuum, ranging from acute ( e.g ., depression following a...

Screen time for children under 5 is associated with various health risks. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, screen use among young children increased significantly. Mothers were more likely than fathers to be the primary caregivers and disproportionally assumed the responsibility of monitoring their children’s screen time. Several studies have examined...

Background Parents/guardians can greatly influence their child’s movement behaviours (i.e., physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep). Yet, they have reported to lack sufficient background knowledge to foster healthy movement habits, and little is known about specific educational gaps. The aim of this study was to explore the educational b...

This study quantitatively assessed adults’ mental health and overall wellbeing over time during the first 16 months of the pandemic in Ontario, Canada. A total of 2,188 participants participated in the study and completed online questionnaires at three time points (baseline—April–July 2020; time 2—July–August 2020; and time 3—July–August 2021), whi...

Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the daily routines of parents and children. This study explored the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) and urbanicity on parents' attitudes toward their children's active play opportunities 6 months and 1.5 years into COVID-19. Methods A sample of 239 Ontario parents of children ag...

While active play in childcare settings is important for children’s development and wellbeing, children with disabilities are frequently excluded from these experiences. This could be a consequence of the pre-service training provided to early childhood educators (ECEs). As such, this study investigated the quantity and content of inclusive active...

Early childhood educators (ECEs) greatly influence young children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviors in childcare and psychosocial factors have been found to influence their teaching practices in this environment. This study sought to determine which personal and professional characteristics predicted ECEs’ self-efficacy, behavioral intent...

Background The implementation of community-based programs is key to effective, sustainable initiatives that can support population-level changes in children’s physical activity. The purpose of this scoping review was to explore the implementation models and frameworks used to develop (process models), explore (determinant frameworks), and/or evalua...

Children’s outdoor risky play is important for healthy development. However, Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) concern for child safety often restricts risky play affordances during childcare. To reduce this trend, an Outdoor Play Risk Re-Framing workshop was delivered to ECEs in London, Ontario, and the immediate/short-term impact of the workshop o...

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a collective opportunity to engage in prosocial behaviours, including kindness; however, little is known about the long-term impacts of the pandemic on such behaviours. As a part of a larger study (Health Outcomes for Adults During and Following the COVID-19 Pandemic), the purpose of this mixed methods research wa...

Physical activity (PA) in the early years is foundational for growth and development and associated with numerous health benefits. However, the prevalence of PA participation among the pediatric population with disabilities is less clear. This systematic review aimed to synthesize the existing literature on PA levels of young children (0-5.99 years...

Introduction The ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth is the most comprehensive national assessment of physical activity and related behaviors, characteristics, and opportunities for children and youth. The 2022 Report Card assigned grades based on data gathered during the COVID-19 pandemic to reflect this extraord...

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that preschool-aged children should engage in 180 min of total physical activity (TPA) including 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) each day. No systematic reviews or meta-analyses have pooled adherence to the recommendation across multiple studies. This study aimed to es...

Background: Physical activity (PA) is often used to support the development of young children (<5 years) with disabilities. The effectiveness of PA as an occupational therapy (OT) treatment approach in this population has not yet been systematically examined. Aims: This research aimed to explore the uses and effectiveness of OT PA interventions...

Unlabelled: This study aimed to obtain consensus on physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) policy items for use in Canadian childcare settings. Purposeful sampling of Canadian experts in PA/SB (n = 19) and Early Childhood Education (ECE; n = 20) was used to form two distinct (i.e., PA/SB and ECE) panels for a 3-round Delphi study. In...

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...

Background : COVID-19 caused closures of movement supporting environments such as gyms and schools in Canada. This study evaluated the association between Ontario parents’ and children’s physical activity levels across time during COVID-19, controlling for variables that were identified as significant predictors of children’s and parents’ physical...

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...

em>Background . The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the study protocol for the Learning Environments’ Activity Potential for Preschoolers (LEAPP) study, the goal of which is to describe the activity levels of preschoolers attending various early learning venues and explore which attributes of these facilities ( e.g. curriculum ,...

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...

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been associated with distress and quality of life concerns among adults. Prosocial behavior (i.e., voluntary behavior intended to benefit another) is effective at improving individuals’ mental health and well-being. COVID-19-related restrictions limit opportunities for physical and social interactions and might de...

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...