Abstract
Background: Effective and sustainable intervention programs are needed to promote physical activity (PA) in children. Objectives: To adapt the NASA Mission X: Train Like an Astronaut program for use with South Korean children, and to evaluate its feasibility and effectiveness for promoting children’s physical fitness. Methods: Children 5 years old (n = 212) and their parents were recruited from three kindergartens in three cities to participate in a 6-week intervention program in fall 2014. We assessed the children’s PA and related changes, and parental changes in attitude and beliefs, after participation in the intervention. Results: Girls reported less PA than boys (40.7 vs. 59.0, p < 0.01). Children with a normal body mass index (BMI) were more likely to be active than underweight children (< 10 percentile) or overweight children (⩾ 85 percentile). After the intervention, about one-half of the children had increased their level of PA (49.4%), increased interest in PA (59.1%) and found psychological need satisfaction in exercise (52.6%). The majority of parents became aware of the necessity of childhood PA (94.2%), their child’s PA capability (64.3%), and the relationship of PA with their children’s self-esteem (79.9%). Conclusions: The adapted NASA Mission X program was feasible and effective in promoting PA in kindergarteners, and also improved their parents’ attitude and beliefs about children’s PA in South Korea. This study provided a model for promoting childhood health through child care and educational settings.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 52-61 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Global health promotion |
Volume | 26 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 1 2019 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Korea
- NASA Mission X
- body weight
- child
- intervention
- kindergarteners
- parents
- physical activity
- physical fitness
- self-esteem
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health