Effectiveness of a Parent Health Report Intervention to Increase Physical Activity among Preschoolers and Kindergarteners

This study was designed to assess the efficacy of a brief parent report intervention for increasing preschoolers’ physical activity participation. Children wore accelerometers for three days and parents subsequently received a report of their child’s average daily physical activity in comparison to national recommendations. Post-intervention physical activity was assessed using accelerometers. Following the intervention, participation in moderate physical activity increased by 5.12 minutes per day on average. Vigorous physical activity did not increase significantly following the intervention. A brief parent report of physical activity may provide an effective intervention to increase preschooler’s’ physical activity participation as part of larger physical activity promotion efforts.