Eff i cacy of a Physical Activity e-Learning Course Delivered to Early Childhood Educators on Preschoolers' Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

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 participated in this study. ECEs in the intervention condition completed a 5-hour e-Learning course related to physical activity. Outcomes were preschoolers ' minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, light-intensity physical activity, and sedentary time assessed using accelerometers. Results: The intervention did not have a signi fi cant effect on moderate- to vigorousintensity physical activity ( d < 0.01, P = .984), light-intensity physical activity ( d = - 0.17, P = .386), or sedentary time ( d = 0.07, P = .717) from baseline to postintervention. There was also no signi fi cant intervention effect on moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity ( d = 0.27, P = .260), light-intensity physical activity ( d = - 0.08, P = .740), or sedentary time ( d = - 0.15, P = .520) from baseline to follow-up. Conclusions: Providing ECEs with online training in physical activity through an e-Learning course may not be suf fi cient to increase physical activity levels among young children in their care. It may be essential to deliver multicomponent interventions to increase preschoolers ' engagement in physical activity in childcare.