Nutrition and physical activity practices in family day care: A cross-sectional survey of Australian family day care educators

Abstract

Issue addressed: Munch & Move is a New South Wales (NSW) Ministry of Health program offering family day care (FDC) educators training to support children's healthy behaviours. This study examined educators' nutrition, physical activity and screen time practices and relationships between Munch & Move training and professional development (PD) on these practices.

Methods: NSW FDC educators (n = 186) completed an online survey from July 2020-June 2021. Differences between groups based on Munch & Move training (trained; not trained) and PD (those who completed PD ≥1 time per year; those who completed PD <1 time per year or never) were tested using bivariate analyses.

Results: A significantly higher proportion of educators trained in Munch & Move offered information to families regarding food serving sizes, nutrition policies, and children's physical activity and screen time. Over one-third in both groups did not meet the guideline of no screen time for children under 2 years old. Compared with those who completed PD ≥1 time per year, a significantly higher proportion of educators who completed PD <1 time per year or never did not provide families with nutrition guidelines or resources.

Conclusions: Educators trained in Munch & Move, and those who completed PD more frequently, demonstrated better nutrition, physical activity and screen time practices in several areas. SO WHAT?: This study demonstrated benefits of the Munch & Move program, implemented with support from Local Health District health promotion officers, and highlighted key areas for improvement in healthy practices in FDC.

Keywords: Munch & Move; children; family day care; nutrition; physical activity; screen time.