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The Efficacy of the TEACH e-Learning Course at Improving Early Childhood Education Students' Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Related Self-Efficacy, Knowledge, Intentions, and Perceived Behavioural Control

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Title: The Efficacy of the TEACH e-Learning Course at Improving Early Childhood Education Students' Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Related Self-Efficacy, Knowledge, Intentions, and Perceived Behavioural Control
Language: English
Authors: Myranda Hawthorne (ORCID 0009-0001-1078-0122), Matthew Bourke, Brianne A. Bruijns, Leigh M. Vanderloo, Jennifer D. Irwin, Rachel Heydon, Valerie Carson, Andrew M. Johnson, Kristi B. Adamo, Shauna M. Burke, Brian W. Timmons, Patricia Tucker
Source: Early Childhood Education Journal. 2026 54(2):645-660.
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 16
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Early Childhood Education
Descriptors: Preservice Teachers, Preservice Teacher Education, Early Childhood Teachers, Physical Activities, Self Efficacy, Knowledge Level, Intention, Self Control, Foreign Countries
Geographic Terms: Canada
DOI: 10.1007/s10643-025-01855-5
ISSN: 1082-3301
1573-1707
Abstract: Promoting high levels of physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour in early childhood is essential for children's health and wellbeing. However, despite existing recommendations, pre-service early childhood educators do not receive adequate training to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour among young children in childcare settings. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the TEACH e-Learning course in enhancing physical activity and sedentary behaviour-related self-efficacy, knowledge, and behavioural intentions among a sample of pre-service early childhood educators (ECEs) across Canada. For this study, a quasi-experimental design was used, with participants (175 intervention, 117 comparison) recruited from 19 English-speaking Canadian colleges and universities offering pre-service ECE programs. The intervention group completed a 4-module e-Learning course on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, including subtopics on risky play and screen time. Data were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up using validated questionnaires. Changes in outcomes (e.g., self-efficacy, knowledge, behaviour intentions and control) were examined using linear mixed-effects models. Significant improvements were observed in the intervention group's task self-efficacy (d = 0.54), knowledge of physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines (d = 0.66), and intentions to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour (0.38 ≤ d ≤ 0.44) post-intervention compared to the comparison group. However, these gains were not sustained at the 3-month follow-up. Perceived behavioural control showed limited improvement, and the intervention did not significantly impact intentions to avoid screen time. The TEACH e-Learning course improved short-term self-efficacy, knowledge, and behavioural intentions related to physical activity and sedentary behaviour among pre-service ECEs. However, the results of this study have shown that there are factors affecting desired outcomes that can not be adequately resolved through short-term training. Integrating such courses into pre-service training programs could enhance ECEs' competencies in promoting physical activity, benefiting children's long-term health. Further research should explore more long-term strategies to promote retention of increases in self-efficacy, knowledge and behavioural intentions related to physical activity and sedentary behaviour among ECEs.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1507498
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0191573892;5mx01feb.26;2026Feb17.02:11;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0191573892-1">The Efficacy of the TEACH e-Learning Course at Improving Early Childhood Education Students' Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Related Self-Efficacy, Knowledge, Intentions, and Perceived Behavioural Control </title> <p>Promoting high levels of physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour in early childhood is essential for children's health and wellbeing. However, despite existing recommendations, pre-service early childhood educators do not receive adequate training to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour among young children in childcare settings. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the TEACH e-Learning course in enhancing physical activity and sedentary behaviour-related self-efficacy, knowledge, and behavioural intentions among a sample of pre-service early childhood educators (ECEs) across Canada. For this study, a quasi-experimental design was used, with participants (175 intervention, 117 comparison) recruited from 19 English-speaking Canadian colleges and universities offering pre-service ECE programs. The intervention group completed a 4-module e-Learning course on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, including subtopics on risky play and screen time. Data were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up using validated questionnaires. Changes in outcomes (e.g., self-efficacy, knowledge, behaviour intentions and control) were examined using linear mixed-effects models. Significant improvements were observed in the intervention group's task self-efficacy (d = 0.54), knowledge of physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines (d = 0.66), and intentions to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour (0.38 ≤ d ≤ 0.44) post-intervention compared to the comparison group. However, these gains were not sustained at the 3-month follow-up. Perceived behavioural control showed limited improvement, and the intervention did not significantly impact intentions to avoid screen time. The TEACH e-Learning course improved short-term self-efficacy, knowledge, and behavioural intentions related to physical activity and sedentary behaviour among pre-service ECEs. However, the results of this study have shown that there are factors affecting desired outcomes that can not be adequately resolved through short-term training. Integrating such courses into pre-service training programs could enhance ECEs' competencies in promoting physical activity, benefiting children's long-term health. Further research should explore more long-term strategies to promote retention of increases in self-efficacy, knowledge and behavioural intentions related to physical activity and sedentary behaviour among ECEs.</p> <p>Keywords: Capacity building; Early childhood education; Physical activity; Sedentary behaviour; Teacher education; e-Learning; Quaasi-experimental study; Self-efficacy; Behavioural intentions; Health promotion; Child health; Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Psychology</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-2">Background</hd> <p>Maximising the amount of time spent being physically active and minimising sedentary time throughout early childhood (< 5 years) is essential for children's overall well-being and their achievement of developmental milestones (Poitras et al., [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref1">32</reflink>]; Van Cauwenberghe et al., [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref2">44</reflink>]). Physical activity, which often takes the form of active play during early childhood, has critical impacts on a wide range of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial outcomes (Carson et al., [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref3">13</reflink>]). In contrast, high levels of sedentary behaviour can increase an individual's risk of harms by increasing risk of all-cause mortality (Park et al., [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref4">31</reflink>]). Sedentary behaviour, specifically in the form of excessive screen time, is also one of the major contributors to the rising levels of childhood obesity (He et al., [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref5">21</reflink>]). Young children who engage in sufficient levels of physical activity are more likely to achieve health benefits such as improved cardiometabolic health (Timmons et al., [<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref6">40</reflink>]), low adiposity (de Fluiter et al., [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref7">17</reflink>]), and favourable blood lipid profiles (Baran et al., [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref8">3</reflink>]). Physical activity in early childhood has also been shown to improve attention, cognition, and overall executive functioning (Carson et al., [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref9">13</reflink>]), as well as mental health (Taylor et al., [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref10">36</reflink>]), and social skills (Carson et al., [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref11">12</reflink>]). Furthermore, physical activity and sedentary behaviour habits established during early childhood have been identified to track into later childhood, adolescence, and even adulthood (Telama et al., [<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref12">37</reflink>]), suggesting that a lack of opportunities and encouragement to participate in physical activity during the early years can perpetuate low levels of physical activity across the lifespan and lead to more severe health deficits, such as overweight and obesity, later in life (Terrón-Pérez et al., [<reflink idref="bib39" id="ref13">39</reflink>]).</p> <p>The World Health Organization's ([<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref14">47</reflink>]) guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep for children under 5 years of age recommend that preschool-aged children (3–4 years) should spend a total of at least 180 minutes per day engaging in physical activity, of which 60 minutes or more should be energetic play of at least a moderate intensity (WHO, 2019). These guidelines also include recommendations for sedentary behaviour, specifying that preschoolers should not be restrained for longer than one hour at a time or be sitting for extended periods, and should be limited to a maximum of one hour of screen time per day. The same guidelines have also been adopted in Australia (Okely et al., [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref15">30</reflink>]), South Africa (Draper et al., [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref16">18</reflink>]), and Canada (Tremblay et al., [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref17">41</reflink>]). However, despite the clear benefits of physical activity and risks of excessive sedentary behaviour in the early years, many children in Canada and around the world, are not meeting the daily recommendations for physical activity and sedentary behaviour (Carson et al., [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref18">11</reflink>]; Christian et al., [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref19">14</reflink>]). Cross-sectional research has revealed that as little as 15% of preschool-aged children in Canada are meeting both physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines (Colley et al., [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref20">15</reflink>]). The proportion of children achieving physical activity and sedentary behaviour may be even lower among populations of preschool-aged children attending childcare (Brown et al., [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref21">5</reflink>]; O'Brien et al., [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref22">29</reflink>]). Data from the 2022 Survey on Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements (SELCCA) reported that over half of all Canadian children under the age of 6 years participated in some form of childcare in early 2022 (Statistics Canada, [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref23">34</reflink>]). The majority of Canadian children in childcare attend on a full-time basis, meaning they are in childcare at least 30 hours each week (Sinha, [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref24">33</reflink>]). Therefore, childcare settings are an ideal environment to target to address the low levels of physical activity and high levels of sedentary time among preschool-aged children in Canada.</p> <p>As authors of many socio-ecological models have highlighted, physical activity and sedentary behaviour levels in children can be influenced by both personal and social environmental factors (Hu et al., [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref25">23</reflink>]). Specifically, among preschool-aged children, these types of movement behaviours are often strongly influenced or modeled by parental and caregiver behaviours, as well as environmental factors such as time spent outdoors (Crumbley et al., [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref26">16</reflink>]; Henderson et al., [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref27">22</reflink>]). The majority of interventions in childcare settings to date have focused on the modification of environmental factors, such as providing access to portable play equipment, increasing time spent outdoors, and introducing frequent, short bouts of play time (Adamo et al., [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref28">1</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref29">2</reflink>]; Temple & Robinson, [<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref30">38</reflink>]; Tucker et al., [<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref31">43</reflink>]; Wolfenden et al., [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref32">46</reflink>]). Given the numerous health benefits associated with engaging in physical activity and limiting sedentary behaviour, new approaches are needed to address physical inactivity in the early years. Early childhood educators (ECEs) have been recognized as playing a crucial role in increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour among young children that attend childcare. However, despite the importance of the role of ECEs in supporting children's health behaviours, they have reported lacking the appropriate pre-service training and self-efficacy to do so (Martyniuk & Tucker, [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref33">28</reflink>]). More specifically, ECEs describe the most prominent barriers to physical activity promotion as relating to both opportunity—such as policy tension, competing priorities, and space constraints, and capability—such as physical activity related knowledge and skills (Jerebine et al., [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref34">24</reflink>]). In fact, in a sample of 1292 Canadian pre-service ECES, only 32% reported receiving instructional content related to physical activity or sedentary behaviour in their post-secondary program (Bruijns et al., [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref35">6</reflink>]). This lack of physical activity and sedentary behaviour training has contributed to ECEs' low self-efficacy in their ability to engage children in appropriate active play opportunities (Bruijns et al., [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref36">10</reflink>]). The <emph>Training pre-service EArly CHildhood</emph> educators in physical activity (TEACH) e-Learning course was developed specifically to fill existing gaps in pre-service ECE curricula related to physical activity and sedentary behaviour (Bruijns et al., [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref37">9</reflink>]), with pilot testing resulting in significant improvements in pre- and in-service ECEs' physical activity and sedentary behaviour-related knowledge and self-efficacy (Bruijns et al., [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref38">10</reflink>]). However, this study included a small sample of pre-services ECEs (n = 32) from a total of 3 colleges, utilized a pre-post (within-subjects) design and did not include a follow-up assessment to determine if the effects were sustained (Bruijns et al., [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref39">10</reflink>]). Beyond the results of the TEACH pilot study, it remains unclear whether this type of training would be beneficial at the pre-service (i.e., professional qualification) level when applied to a broader and more representative sample of early childhood educator candidates from across Canada.</p> <p>Given the success of the TEACH pilot study, and requests from ECEs for additional training on physical activity and sedentary behaviour in young children, this study aimed to examine the efficacy of the TEACH e-Learning course on the physical activity- and sedentary behaviour-related self-efficacy, knowledge, behavioural intention, and perceived behavioural control of pre-service ECEs across Canada on a larger scale. This novel approach to addressing inactivity and sedentary time in the early years holds great promise to ensure ECEs in Canada enter their profession confident and able to create childcare environments supportive of physical activity and which limit sedentary behaviour, thus benefiting the shorter- and longer-term health of young Canadians.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-3">Methods</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0191573892-4">Study Design and Setting</hd> <p>This study employed a quasi-experimental study design conducted between June 2022 and July 2023, using the previous established TEACH study protocol (Bourke et al., [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref40">4</reflink>]; Tucker et al., [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref41">42</reflink>]). Data were collected at three timepoints: baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. At each timepoint, participants were provided with a link to an online questionnaire via Qualtrics. At baseline, participants were asked to create a unique identification number, which they were asked to enter in each of the two subsequent surveys to allow the research team to track their responses for the duration of the study.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-5">Participants and Recruitment</hd> <p>English speaking colleges and universities in Canada offering an entry-to-practice pre-service ECE programs (i.e., clusters) were purposefully selected by the research team, and faculty at these institutions were invited via email/telephone to participate in this research study. Participant eligibility criteria for this study included that they: (<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref42">1</reflink>) were enrolled in a pre-service ECE program at a participating English-speaking Canadian college/university at the time of recruitment; and (<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref43">2</reflink>) had access to the internet to complete the study assessments and engage in the intervention.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-6">Sample Size Calculations</hd> <p>An updated sample size calculation was conducted with redefined assumptions. To determine a moderate standardized mean difference in changes in outcomes between the intervention and control group of d = 0.50, to achieve 80% power with an error rate of 0.05 an effective sample size of 64 participants per group was deemed necessary. Given that participants are nested within colleges, the sample size calculations must account for the design effect. Assuming an average cluster size of 20 students per institution and an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.05, the design effect was 1.9. Therefore, a total of 122 participants per group needed to be recruited.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-7">Randomization, Allocation, and Concealment</hd> <p>A total of 51 colleges and universities were identified as being eligible for inclusion in this study. Of these, 32 institutions were excluded due to either lack of interest in participating (n = 7) or failure to respond to recruitment communications (n = 25). The remaining 19 institutions were allocated to either intervention or control (Fig. 1). Given that not all recruited colleges had the capacity to deliver the e-Learning course as part of their curriculum (i.e., during class hours), programs which were able to deliver the course as part of their curriculum were prioritized for allocation to the intervention group. Colleges which were unable to deliver the course as part of the curriculum were assigned to the comparison condition.</p> <p>Graph: Fig. 1 CONSORT participant flow chart</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-8">Intervention</hd> <p>The TEACH e-Learning intervention consisted of a 5-h, 4-module e-learning course created through a modified Delphi process with input from two expert panels consisting of physical activity and sedentary behaviour researchers and early childhood education specialists in Canada (Bruijns et al., [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref44">9</reflink>]). Module 1 included an overview of physical activity and sedentary behaviours in early childhood, covering definitions, guidelines, recommendations, health benefits and consequences, and behaviour prevalence. Module 2 contained information on factors that influence physical activity and sedentary time in childcare, the importance of outdoor play, and promoting risky play. The content of module 3 provided strategies to encourage physical activity and reduce sedentary time in childcare, including goal setting, structured physical activity programming, role modeling, active learning, breaks and transitions, adapting the childcare environment, creating policies, and collaborating with families. And finally, module 4 consisted of a resource library and list of additional professional learning opportunities related to physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Aligned with Social Cognitive and Self-Efficacy Theories, the course aimed to enhance knowledge and boost confidence in promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary time among ECEs. It featured practical scenarios for early childhood educators to observe, along with scenario-based knowledge checks. The course used a mix of text, voiceovers, videos, and animations to facilitate learning, and participants in the intervention group had up to four weeks to complete it.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-9">Procedure</hd> <p>Participating pre-service ECEs completed an online survey (~ 25 min) to assess their physical activity and sedentary behaviour-related self-efficacy, knowledge, and behavioural intention and perceived behavioural control at 3 time points (baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up). By way of pre/post measurements, an outcome evaluation (i.e., immediate change in self-efficacy/knowledge/behavioural intention and perceived behavioural control) identified the course's effectiveness at increasing pre-service ECEs' physical activity and sedentary behaviour self-efficacy, knowledge, and behavioural intention and perceived behavioural control. Follow-up measures 3-months post-intervention acted as an impact evaluation (i.e., sustained change in self-efficacy/knowledge/behavioural intention and perceived behavioural control) of the course's effectiveness long-term.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-10">Measures</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0191573892-11">Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour-Related Self-Efficacy</hd> <p>Physical activity and sedentary behaviour related self-efficacy of participants in this study was assessed using the previously validated Early Childhood Educator Confidence in Outdoor Movement, Physical Activity, and Sedentary and Screen Behaviours (ECE-COMPASS) questionnaire (Bruijns et al., [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref45">7</reflink>]). The ECE-COMPASS questionnaire includes 21 items to measure task self-efficacy (e.g., confidence in fostering an environment supportive of children's active play) and 10 items targeting barrier self-efficacy (e.g., confidence in promoting physical activity when colleagues or superiors do not prioritize it). Responses for each item were recorded on an 11-point Likert scale, ranging from lacking confidence entirely (0) to feeling entirely confident (<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref46">10</reflink>). Participants average barrier and task self-efficacy was calculated as the average response across each of the subscales. Cronbach's alpha for task and barrier self-efficacy from the current sample of pre-service ECEs were 0.96 and 0.94, respectively.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-12">Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour-Related Knowledge</hd> <p>Knowledge related to physical activity and sedentary behaviour were measured using a study-specific tool, which was developed in alignment with the <emph>Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years</emph> (Tremblay et al., [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref47">41</reflink>]). This tool consisted of multiple-choice questions designed to evaluate participants' understanding of movement guidelines, definitions, and recommended practices. While formal psychometric validation (e.g., Cronbach's alpha or test–retest reliability) was not conducted for this tool, its content was developed through an iterative process, including expert reviews by professionals in early childhood education and physical activity. This ensured the tool's alignment with current guidelines and relevance to the study's objectives. Future research should prioritize the validation of this tool to establish its reliability and enhance its applicability in similar contexts.</p> <p>Additionally, the tool's questions were directly mapped to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, which recommend at least 180 min of physical activity per day, including 60 min of energetic play, and a maximum of one hour of screen time for preschool-aged children. By assessing guideline-specific knowledge, the tool aimed to capture the participants' ability to understand and potentially apply these recommendations in their professional practice. The assessment was divided into three distinct sections; 8 items evaluated participants' knowledge of the Canadian guidelines and recommendations for childcare settings; 7 items assessed knowledge of physical activity and sedentary behaviour related definitions; and, 7 items assessed knowledge of favourable educator behaviours (Bruijns et al., [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref48">10</reflink>]). Composite scores were determined for each scale and for overall knowledge, as the number of questions for which the correct answer was provided.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-13">Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Related Behavioural Intentions</hd> <p>The Ealy Childhood Educator Movement Behavioural Intention and Perceived Control (ECE-MBIPC) questionnaire was used to assess participants intentions to promote physical activity and limit sedentary time in childcare (Bruijns et al., [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref49">8</reflink>]). This validated questionnaire includes 7 subscales, each containing 4 items, to gauge intentions regarding various aspects such as: ensuring children engage in at least 120 min of physical activity daily (equivalent to two-thirds of recommended daily physical activity levels); fostering children's development of physical literacy; serving as a positive role model for children's physical activity; reducing prolonged periods of sedentary behaviour; discouraging children's use of screen-based technology; encouraging outdoor play in all weather conditions; and, facilitating opportunities for outdoor risky play. Each subscale regarding intention was rated on a 7-point Likert scale, resulting in an overall score ranging from 4 to 28 for each subscale. Cronbach's alphas for each of the subscales from the current sample ranged between 0.86 and 0.93.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-14">Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour-Related Perceived Behavioural Control</hd> <p>Perceived behavioural control was also assessed using the ECE-MBIPC questionnaire; however, the original 7 subscales were revised to be assessed using 4 perceived behavioural control items (e.g., <emph>If I wanted to, I could...</emph>). Each subscale was rated using a 7-point Likert scale, generating an overall score from 4 to 28 for each subscale. Cronbach's alpha for each of the subscales from the current sample ranged between 0.83 and 0.92.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-15">Data Analysis</hd> <p>Prior to analysis, the values for each of the outcomes were explored to ensure that none of the outcomes substantially departed from a normal distribution (i.e., skewness <|1.5|). All outcomes were normally distributed. Therefore, changes in outcomes were examined using linear mixed-effects models. The model including a fixed term for group (intervention, control), time (baseline, post-intervention, follow-up), and a group by time interaction. A significant group by time interaction indicates that there is a significant difference in changes in an outcome from baseline between the groups. The model also included a random intercept for participants to account for the repeated assessments. Additionally, a random intercept was estimated for college to account for the clustering of participants within colleges. Missing data was accounted for in the analysis using restricted maximum likelihood estimations. Standardised effect sizes were calculated for all effects at post-intervention and follow-up be dividing the difference in changes in outcomes between the intervention and control group by the pooled standard deviation at baseline (i.e., Cohen's d).</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-16">Results</hd> <p>In total, 51 colleges were invited to participate in the study. Of these, 19 colleges agreed to participate and were assigned to the intervention (n = 12 colleges) or the control (n = 7 colleges) conditions (Fig. 1). The intervention group included 175 participants, the majority of whom identified as female (93.1%), with an average age of 27.52 years (<emph>SD</emph> = 10.03), and were primarily White (49.7%) or Asian (24.0%). Of the 117 participants in the comparison group, almost all identified as female (98.3%), were, on average, 33.26 (<emph>SD</emph> = 9.89) years, and included nearly equal proportions of participants who identified as Asian (37.6%) and White (35.8%). All participants were enrolled in college- level programs, however most participants indicated they were pursuing a diploma in early childhood education (intervention = 65.1%; control = 77.8%). The intervention group included primarily first year pre-service ECEs (76.9%) while the comparison group included a greater number of second year students (53.0%). Approximately one quarter (intervention = 27.1%, control = 26.5%) of participants reported engaging in 150 min or more of physical activity each week. Additionally, nearly half of participants in the intervention group (49.1%) and control group (55.6%) reported limiting their recreational screen time to under 3 h per day. A complete list of demographic and descriptive statistics for participants in the intervention and control groups is displayed in Table 1.</p> <p>Table 1 Participant characteristics</p> <p> <ephtml> <table rules="groups"><thead><tr><th align="left" /><th align="left"><p>Intervention</p></th><th align="left"><p>Comparison</p></th><th align="left"><p>p-value<sup>a</sup></p></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p><italic>Gender</italic></p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" rowspan="4"><p>0.098</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Female</p></td><td align="left"><p>163 (93.1%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>115 (98.3%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Male</p></td><td align="left"><p>10 (5.7%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1 (0.9%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Prefer not to answer</p></td><td align="left"><p>2 (1.1%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1 (0.9%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Age M(SD)</p></td><td align="left"><p>27.51 (10.03)</p></td><td align="left"><p>33.26 (9.89)</p></td><td align="left"><p>< 0.001*</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p><italic>Ethnicity</italic></p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" rowspan="9"><p>0.111</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>White</p></td><td align="left"><p>87 (49.7%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>45 (38.5%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Black</p></td><td align="left"><p>8 (4.6%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>5 (4.3%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Asian</p></td><td align="left"><p>42 (24.0%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>44 (37.6%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Arab</p></td><td align="left"><p>6 (3.4%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1 (0.9%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Indigenous</p></td><td align="left"><p>22 (7.5%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>5 (4.3%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Latin, Central, or South American</p></td><td align="left"><p>6 (3.4%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>6 (5.1%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Other</p></td><td align="left"><p>6 (3.4%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>7 (6.0%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Prefer not to answer</p></td><td align="left"><p>3 (1.7%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>4 (3.4%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p><italic>Province</italic></p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" rowspan="8"><p> < 0.001*</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>British Columbia</p></td><td align="left"><p>0 (0.0%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>3 (4.0%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Alberta</p></td><td align="left"><p>26 (22.6%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>41 (54.7%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Manitoba</p></td><td align="left"><p>0 (0.0%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>11 (14.7%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Ontario</p></td><td align="left"><p>47 (40.9%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>20 (26.7%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Nova Scotia</p></td><td align="left"><p>11 (5.8%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0 (0.0%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Prince Edward Island</p></td><td align="left"><p>14 (7.4%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0 (0.0%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Northwest Territories</p></td><td align="left"><p>17 (8.9%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0 (0.0%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p><italic>Type of degree</italic></p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" rowspan="5"><p>0.039*</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Certificate</p></td><td align="left"><p>56 (32.0%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>23 (19.7%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Diploma</p></td><td align="left"><p>114 (65.1%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>91 (77.8%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Graduate</p></td><td align="left"><p>3 (1.7%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0 (0.0%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Other</p></td><td align="left"><p>2 (1.1%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>3 (2.6%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p><italic>Year of study</italic></p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" rowspan="3"><p>< 0.001*</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>First year</p></td><td align="left"><p>133 (76.9%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>53 (45.3%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Beyond first year</p></td><td align="left"><p>40 (23.1%)</p></td><td align="left"><p>64 (54.7%)</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Number of physical activity courses completed M(SD)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.32 (1.84)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.80 (3.61)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.14</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Number of sedentary behaviour courses completed M(SD)</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.66 (4.17)</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.85 (4.15)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.711</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Number of e-learning courses completed M(SD)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.52 (0.50)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.77 (2.40)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.271</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>MVPA hour/week M(SD)</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.88 (1.64)</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.87 (1.61)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.966</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Screen time hours/week M(SD)</p></td><td align="left"><p>3.15 (1.03)</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.99 (1.07)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.192</p></td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p> <sups>a</sups>p-value for assessment of difference between intervention and comparison groups <sups>*</sups>p < 0.05</p> <p>There was a high level of attrition in the current study. In total, 38% of the participants in the intervention group completed the post-intervention assessment and 18% completed the follow-up assessment. In the control condition, 53% of participants completed the post-intervention assessment and 35% completed the follow-up assessment. Results demonstrated that when controlling for familywise error rate, there was not significant difference in any of the study variables between participants with complete data and participants with missing data, demonstrating that the data were missing completely at random.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-17">Changes in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour-Related Self-Efficacy</hd> <p>Mean changes in task and barrier self-efficacy from the intervention and comparison groups, as well as between group differences are displayed in Table 2 and Appendix A. There was a significant intervention effect on task self-efficacy, which increased significantly more in the intervention group from baseline to post-intervention compared to the comparison group, d = 0.54, <emph>p</emph> = 0.001. Additionally, a significant intervention effect was observed on barrier self-efficacy which increased significantly more from baseline to post-intervention in the intervention group compared to the comparison group, d = 0.46, <emph>p</emph> = 0.002. However, the effects were not sustained at 3-month follow-up for task or barrier self-efficacy.</p> <p>Table 2 Results from mixed-effects models examining between-group differences in changes in self-efficacy, knowledge, intentions, and between the intevention and control group at post-intervention and follow-up</p> <p> <ephtml> <table rules="groups"><thead><tr><th align="left" rowspan="2" /><th align="left" colspan="2"><p>Intervention</p></th><th align="left" colspan="2"><p>Control</p></th><th align="left" rowspan="2"><p>Between group difference from baseline to post-intervention</p></th><th align="left" rowspan="2"><p>d</p></th><th align="left" rowspan="2"><p><italic>p</italic>-value</p></th><th align="left" rowspan="2"><p>Between group difference from baseline to 3 months follow-up</p></th><th align="left" rowspan="2"><p>d</p></th><th align="left" rowspan="2"><p><italic>p</italic>-value</p></th></tr><tr><th align="left"><p>Mean change from baseline to post-intervention</p></th><th align="left"><p>Mean change from baseline to 3 months follow-up</p></th><th align="left"><p>Mean change from baseline to post-intervention</p></th><th align="left"><p>Mean change from baseline to 3 months follow-up</p></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p><italic>Self-efficacy</italic></p></td><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Task self-efficacy</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.12 (0.75, 1.49)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.73 (0.23, 1.23)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.25 (− 0.12, 0.62)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.00 (0.58, 1.43)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.87 (0.34, 1.39)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.54</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.001</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p> − 0.27 (− 0.93, 0.39)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p> − 0.17</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.422</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Barrier self-efficacy</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.21 (0.81, 1.62)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.89 (0.33, 1.44)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.49 (0.09, 0.89)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.14 (0.67, 1.60)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.82 (0.29, 1.35)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.46</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.002</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p> − 0.29 (− 0.95, 0.38)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p> − 0.16</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.395</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p><italic>Knowledge</italic></p></td><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Guideline knowledge</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>2.27 (1.74, 0.79)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.44 (0.73, 2.14)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.91 (0.39, 1.42)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.90 (0.27, 1.53)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.36 (0.62, 2.10)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.66</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p> < 0.001</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.54 (− 0.41, 1.48)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.26</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.266</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Definition knowledge</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.21 (0.78, 1.63)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.26 (0.67, 1.84)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.52 (0.10, 0.94)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.73 (0.23, 1.22)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.68 (0.08, 1.28)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.40</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.026</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.53 (− 0.24, 1.30)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.31</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.176</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Behavioural knowledge</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.13 (0.74, 1.51)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.41 (0.88, 1.94)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.58 (0.20, 0.96)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.34 (− 0.21, 0.68)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.55 (0.01, 1.09)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.36</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.047</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.18 (0.48, 1.87)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.78</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p> < 0.001</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Overall Knowledge</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>5.03 (4.13, 5.93)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>3.89 (2.67, 5.10)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>2.07 (1.20, 2.93)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>2.71 (1.66, 3.77)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>2.96 (1.71, 4.21)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.73</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p> < 0.001</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.17 (− 0.44, 2.79)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.29</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.152</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p><italic>Intention</italic></p></td><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Program 120 min PA</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.47 (0.63, 2.31)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.17 (0.03, 2.32)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p> − 0.10 (− 0.93, 0.73)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.93 (− 0.04, 1.90)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.57 (0.39, 2.75)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.44</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.009</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.25 (− 1.26, 1.74)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.07</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.748</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Promote physical literacy</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.15 (0.42, 1.89)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.34 (0.34, 2.33)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p> − 0.07 (− 0.79, 0.65)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.39 (− 0.45, 1.23)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.22 (0.19, 2.25)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.39</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.020</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.94 (− 0.36, 2.25)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.30</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.153</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Role model PA</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.88 (0.18, 1.57)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.78 (− 0.18, 1.73)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p> − 0.23 (− 0.92, 0.46)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.14 (− 0.72, 1.00)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.11 (0.13, 2.09)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.38</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.027</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.87 (− 0.38, 2.12)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.29</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.172</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Promote outdoor play</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.48 (0.70, 2.26)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.06 (− 0.00, 2.11)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p> − 0.11 (− 0.87, 0.65)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.05 (− 0.84, 0.94)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.59 (0.50, 2.68)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.43</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.004</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.01 (− 0.38, 2.39)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.27</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.152</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Lead risky play opportunities</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.86 (1.04, 2.67)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>2.18 (1.07, 3.29)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.25 (− 0.55, 1.05)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.80 (− 0.13, 1.73)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.60 (0.46, 2.75)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.42</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.006</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.38 (− 0.07, 2.83)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.36</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.062</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Minimize sedentary time</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.87 (1.10, 2.65)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.48 (0.43, 2.53)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.51 (− 0.24, 1.27)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.35 (− 0.53, 1.23)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.36 (0.28, 2.44)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.40</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.014</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.13 (− 0.24, 2.50)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.33</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.106</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Avoid screen time</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.98 (0.09, 1.87)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.03 (− 0.18, 2.24)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.02 (− 0.85, 0.90)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p> − 0.36 (− 1.38, 0.66)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.96 (− 0.29, 2.21)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.25</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.131</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.39 (− 0.20, 2.98)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.36</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.085</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p><italic>Perceived behaviour control</italic></p></td><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /><td char="." align="char" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Program 120 min PA</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.33 (0.46, 2.19)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.73 (− 0.45, 1.91)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.52 (− 0.33, 1.37)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.21 (0.22, 1.74)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.80 (− 0.41, 2.02)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.20</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.193</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p> − 0.48 (− 2.02, 1.06)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p> − 0.11</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.537</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Promote physical literacy</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.27 (0.53, 2.01)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.98 (− 0.02, 1.99)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.41 (− 0.32, 1.13)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.10 (0.25, 1.94)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.86 (− 0.17, 1.89)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.30</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.101</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p> − 0.11 (− 1.42, 1.20)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p> − 0.03</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.867</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Role model PA</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.87 (0.19, 1.55)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.22 (− 0.70, 1.15)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p> − 0.01 (− 0.67, 0.66)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.39 (− 0.39, 1.17)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.88 (− 0.07, 1.83)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.29</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.069</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p> − 0.17 (− 1.37, 1.04)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p> − 0.06</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.786</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Promote outdoor play</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.51 (0.66, 2.36)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.53(− 0.63, 1.70)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.10 (− 0.73, 0.94)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.79 (− 0.19, 1.76)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.41 (0.21, 2.60)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.35</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.021</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p> − 0.25 (− 1.77, 1.27)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p> − 0.06</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.743</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Lead risky play opportunities</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>2.20 (1.12, 3.28)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.95 (0.47, 3.42)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.87 (− 0.19, 1.93)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.55 (0.31, 2.01)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.33 (− 0.18, 2.85)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.28</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.084</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.40 (− 1.53, 2.32)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.09</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.684</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Minimize sedentary time</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.80 (1.02, 2.58)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.59 (− 0.47, 1.66)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.81 (0.49, 1.58)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.78 (− 0.11, 1.67)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.99 (− 0.10, 2.08)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.28</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.076</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p> − 0.19 (− 1.58, 1.20)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p> − 0.05</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.788</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Avoid screen time</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.39 (0.46, 2.32)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.77 (− 0.49, 2.05)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.22 (− 0.70, 1.14)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p> − 0.06 (− 1.13, 1.01)</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>1.17 (− 0.14, 2.48)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.31</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.079</p></td><td char="(" align="char"><p>0.84 (− 0.83, 2.50)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.22</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.323</p></td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <hd id="AN0191573892-18">Changes in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour-Related Knowledge</hd> <p>Changes in physical activity and sedentary behaviour knowledge for pre-service ECEs in the intervention and comparison groups are shown in Table 2 and Appendix A. There were significant between group differences in all four categories: guideline knowledge (d = 0.66, <emph>p</emph> < 0.001), definition knowledge (d = 0.40, <emph>p</emph> = 0.026), behavioural knowledge (d = 0.36, <emph>p</emph> = 0.047, and overall knowledge (d = 0.73, <emph>p</emph> < 0.001), from baseline to post-intervention. Significant intervention effects on knowledge were only sustained at 3-month follow-up for behavioural knowledge, d = 0.78, <emph>p</emph> < 0.001. There were no significant differences in changes in knowledge of guidelines or definitions from baseline to follow-up between the intervention and comparison group.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-19">Changes in Intentions to Increase Physical Activity and Decrease Sedentary</hd> <p>Mean changes in intentions to increase physical activity and decrease sedentary time for the intervention and comparison groups are displayed in Table 2 and Appendix A. There were significant moderate intervention effects on intentions to program 120 min of physical activity (d = 0.44, <emph>p</emph> = 0.009), promote physical literacy (d = 0.39, <emph>p</emph> = 0.020), role model physical activity (d = 0.38, <emph>p</emph> = 0.027), promote outdoor play (d = 0.43, <emph>p</emph> = 0.004), lead risky play opportunities (d = 0.42, <emph>p</emph> = 0.006), and minimize sedentary time (d = 0.40, <emph>p</emph> = 0.014). The intervention did not have a significant effect on intentions to avoid screen time post-intervention. The significant intervention effects were not sustained for any of the behavioural intention constructs at 3-month follow-up.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-20">Changes in Perceived Behavioural Control to Increase Physical Activity and Decrease Sedentary...</hd> <p>Changes in perceived behavioural control to increase physical activity and decrease sedentary time for the intervention and comparison groups are shown in Table 2 and Appendix A. There was a significant intervention effect on perceived behavioural control to promote outdoor play from baseline to post-intervention; however, this effect was not sustained at 3-month follow-up. Significant between group differences were not observed in participants' perceived behavioural control to program 120 min of physical activity, promote physical literacy, role model physical activity, lead risky play opportunities, minimize sedentary time, or avoid screen time.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-21">Discussion</hd> <p>The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the TEACH e-Learning course among Canadian pre-service ECEs. The study aimed to determine the impact of the course on equipping future educators with the skills, knowledge, and confidence necessary to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior in early childhood settings. Additionally, the study sought to identify the feasibility of integrating this type of physical activity and sedentary behavior training into pre-service ECE programs to support the long-term health and development of children. The findings from this quasi-experimental study shed light on the potential of the TEACH e-Learning course to improve self-efficacy, knowledge, intentions, and perceived behavioral control related to physical activity promotion and sedentary behavior reduction among pre-service ECEs across Canada.</p> <p>The study revealed significant improvements in self-efficacy related to promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior among pre-service ECEs following the TEACH intervention, indicating enhanced confidence in fostering environments conducive to physical activity in early learning settings. The intervention group's task and barrier self-efficacy significantly increased from baseline to post-intervention, demonstrating the immediate impact of the e-learning course. This finding is especially positive considering recent research has revealed that educators perceive a wide range of barriers to physical activity promotion in early childhood education environments. Similar results were observed in the study by Martin et al. ([<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref50">27</reflink>]), which aimed to increase educators' self-efficacy to teach physical education programming, with the authors attributing their positive results to the program's consistency with tenets of social cognitive theory and professional development principles. These findings were also supported by the results of a recent systematic review and meta-analysis, where Bourke et al. ([<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref51">4</reflink>]) found strong evidence supporting the efficacy of capacity-building interventions designed to improve the perceived capabilities, knowledge, and attitudes related to promoting physical activity and teaching fundamental movement skills among ECEs as well as teachers.</p> <p>While there was a small-to-moderate effect at follow-up specifically on knowledge and intentions for the intervention group, the lack of sustained effects at 3-month follow-up suggests that while the course effectively boosts short-term confidence, additional support or ongoing training may be necessary to maintain these gains. This suggests that while the course effectively boosts short-term confidence, knowledge, and intentions, additional support or ongoing training may be necessary to maintain these gains. A result which further emphasizes the need for integrating continuous professional development opportunities within ECE programs to ensure lasting changes in physical activity and sedentary behavior self-efficacy. Future interventions may benefit from incorporating booster sessions or periodic assessments to reinforce learning and sustain behavior changes beyond the initial intervention period.</p> <p>The TEACH e-Learning course significantly enhanced physical activity and sedentary behavior-related knowledge in pre-service ECEs, with notable improvements in guideline knowledge, definition knowledge, and overall knowledge immediately post-intervention. Although there was a trend across all knowledge outcomes that knowledge improved at follow-up for the intervention group compared to the control group, only the gains in behavioral knowledge were sustained significantly at the 3-month follow-up. This pattern indicates that while the intervention effectively imparts essential information, retention of specific knowledge areas diminishes over time. These results underscore the importance of reinforcement strategies within ECE curricula, such as periodic refreshers or supplementary materials, to help educators retain critical knowledge and apply it consistently in their practices. While results from an e-learning course designed for medical students (Gaupp et al., [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref52">19</reflink>]) demonstrated some evidence to support the capacity of e-learning interventions to produce significant long-term effects on knowledge, the authors also provided suggestions, such as the combination of e-learning with face-to-face sessions and making changes in course intensity in terms of frequency and duration, as possible future directions to achieve more stable and lasting changes from virtual education programs. These suggestions will require further testing to assess their validity and determine the value of incorporating these components into the TEACH e-Learning course to promote greater knowledge retention relating to physical activity promotion and sedentary behavior reduction.</p> <p>To promote long-term maintenance of outcomes, future iterations of the TEACH course could incorporate booster sessions or periodic refresher modules. These sessions would reinforce the concepts introduced in the initial training, providing opportunities for participants to revisit key material and strengthen their application in professional settings. Evidence from other educational interventions suggests that reinforcement strategies, such as follow-up training or mentoring, can significantly enhance retention and sustain behavioral change (Karlqvist & Gard, [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref53">25</reflink>]; Vlach & Sandhofer, [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref54">45</reflink>]). Integrating the TEACH course into pre-service ECE curricula as a continuous learning component rather than a one-time intervention may also improve outcome maintenance. For instance, embedding the course within multiple semesters of training could provide repeated exposure to physical activity and sedentary behavior concepts. Additionally, pairing the e-learning course with in-person workshops or practical applications in childcare settings could bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world practice, fostering deeper learning and long-term impact. Mentorship programs represent another promising approach to sustaining behavioral intentions. Mentorship could pair pre-service ECEs with experienced professionals who model best practices in promoting physical activity and limiting sedentary behavior. This ongoing support might help address environmental and social barriers that challenge sustained application of the intervention's principles.</p> <p>A significant improvement in perceived behavioral control to promote outdoor play immediately post-intervention was observed among individuals of the study's intervention group, which aligns with previous research highlighting the effectiveness of educational interventions in enhancing ECEs' competencies related to physical activity promotion. However, this intervention effect did not persist at the 3-month follow-up. The lack of sustained improvement in other areas of perceived behavioral control suggests that while the intervention can enhance immediate confidence, maintaining this control requires more than a one-time training session. This finding indicates the necessity for systemic changes within educational institutions and childcare environments to provide ongoing professional development for ECEs. Implementing policies that support outdoor play, providing resources, and fostering a culture that values active lifestyles are essential steps towards achieving long-lasting improvements in perceived behavioral control.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-22">Limitations</hd> <p>Although this study provided a number of valuable insights, several limitations should be acknowledged. First, the sample comprised only English-speaking Canadian institutions, potentially limiting generalizability across the country and on an international scale. Additional research is needed to examine the efficacy of the TEACH e-Learning course with more diverse samples and in different languages, such as French, to further validate the effectiveness of this educational intervention in promoting increased physical activity related knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioural intentions among pre-service ECEs in Canada and other countries around the world. Second, while feasible, the use of a quasi-experimental methodology as opposed to a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, with the academic institutions serving as the units of randomization is considered a limitation. This was a conscious decision made by the research team to avoid the risk of contamination bias between participants attending the same university or college and due to the recruitment strategy, which was designed to target classes of pre-service ECEs through faculty members and program coordinators. However, to confirm the findings of this research, future studies should be designed using randomized controlled trial designs and targeting pre-service ECEs at the individual level, similar to the full-scale in-service TEACH study (Bourke et al., [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref55">4</reflink>]). Additionally, due to the nature of the intervention, participants were not blinded and were aware of group allocation throughout the study. This introduces bias as knowledge of a participant's assignment to either the intervention or comparison group can, consciously or unconsciously, influence their behaviour. For example, participants in the control group may seek out information relating the physical activity guidelines from online sources after completing the baseline assessment. Further, because a quasi-experimental design was applied allowing for even distribution of confounding factors related to province and program size, it is possible that this generated an uneven distribution of confounding factors related to province and program size.</p> <p>The high rate of attrition between the initial intervention and comparison group allocations (n = 175 and n = 117, respectively) to the post-intervention assessment (n = 66 and n = 62) and finally at the 3-month follow-up assessment (n = 31 and n = 41) (Fig. 1) represents a potential limitation of the current study. That said, there was no significant difference in outcomes at baseline between participants with complete and missing data, and missing data was handles using maximum likelihood estimations to retain statistical power. Similar rates of attrition have been reported throughout the literature in studies utilizing internet-based interventions (Halliday et al., [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref56">20</reflink>]; Kullberg et al., [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref57">26</reflink>]; Suppan et al., [<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref58">35</reflink>]), indicating that high loss to follow-up rates may in fact be inherent to virtual learning programs themselves, regardless of topic or population of interest. More research on the typical features of online learning interventions is necessary and should consider additional factors leading to high rates of attrition within this type of intervention. Future studies should also consider these high attrition rates when designing and calculating sample size for similar interventions to unsure adequate power is achieved.</p> <p>Finally, while the TEACH e-learning course was developed through a rigorous DELPHI process, including feedback from experts in fields of both physical activity and early childhood education (Bruijns et al., [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref59">9</reflink>]), it deserves acknowledgement that the majority of the course content is theoretical in nature. Future iterations of this e-learning course could be improved by including more hands-on implementation or clinical practice components, to assist pre-service ECEs in adapting their newly acquired skills to real world situations.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-23">Future Research and Implications for Policy and Practice</hd> <p>First of all, given that the early childhood education profession is predominantly female, the gender distribution of our sample reflects the demographics of the field. Although male participants comprised a small percentage of the sample, their inclusion aligns with real-world diversity within early childhood education programs. However, future research might explore whether gender differences influence the efficacy of interventions like TEACH e-learning to ensure equitable training outcomes across all educators.</p> <p>The main findings of this study have implications for both practice and policy within the early childhood education sector. Educators play a crucial role in shaping physical activity and sedentary behaviour habits and attitudes of children, and interventions targeting their competencies can contribute to creating supportive environments conducive to healthy development as well as establishing longer-term health behaviours. However, challenges remain in addressing sedentary behaviour and promoting physical activity effectively among pre-service ECEs. The lack of sustained effects at the 3-month follow-up from the present study's sample of pre-service ECEs emphasizes the need for research into long-term strategies for maintaining gains in self-efficacy, knowledge, and behavioral intentions within this population. Future studies should consider testing the efficacy of booster sessions, extended training durations, and integrated mentorship programs to reinforce and sustain improvements over time.</p> <p>Moreover, changes made at the policy level within early childhood education programs could institutionalize physical activity training as a core component of the curriculum. For example, embedding physical activity and sedentary behavior modules across multiple semesters could enhance retention and ensure that future ECEs are well-prepared to create environments that support children's active lifestyles. Institutions might also consider aligning program accreditation standards with physical activity promotion competencies, further embedding these practices into professional preparation.</p> <p>Finally, expanding the scope of the TEACH e-Learning course to diverse contexts and populations, such as French-speaking Canadian institutions or international settings, could enhance its applicability and impact. Tailoring the course content to address regional or cultural differences in childcare practices and movement guidelines would further broaden its relevance and effectiveness.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-24">Conclusion</hd> <p>The findings of this study underscore the potential of the TEACH e-Learning intervention in enhancing knowledge, self-efficacy, behavioural intentions, and perceived behavioural control to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour among pre-service ECEs. By addressing gaps in knowledge and self-efficacy, this intervention can empower educators to create environments that foster active lifestyles from an early age, thereby promoting the holistic well-being of children. Continued efforts in this direction are warranted to maximize the impact of educational interventions and create a culture of physical activity within the early childhood education sector. Additionally, the lack of intervention effects observed at 3-month follow-up indicate that future research is needed to determine the best way forward to ensure ECEs continued retention of physical activity and sedentary behaviour training following completion of the TEACH e-learning course.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-25">Declarations</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0191573892-26">Conflict of interest</hd> <p>All authors have no conflict of interest.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-27">Appendix A</hd> <p>See Table</p> <p>Table 3 Detailed summary of results</p> <p> <ephtml> <table rules="groups"><thead><tr><th align="left" /><th align="left" colspan="5"><p>Intervention</p></th><th align="left" colspan="5"><p>Control</p></th><th align="left" rowspan="2"><p>Between group difference from baseline to post</p></th><th align="left" rowspan="2"><p>p-value</p></th><th align="left" rowspan="2"><p>Between group difference from baseline to follow-up</p></th><th align="left" rowspan="2"><p>p-value</p></th></tr><tr><th align="left" /><th align="left"><p>Baseline</p></th><th align="left"><p>Post</p></th><th align="left"><p>Follow-up</p></th><th align="left"><p>Mean change from baseline to post</p></th><th align="left"><p>Mean change from baseline to follow-up</p></th><th align="left"><p>Baseline</p></th><th align="left"><p>Post</p></th><th align="left"><p>Follow-up</p></th><th align="left"><p>Mean change from baseline to post</p></th><th align="left"><p>Mean change from baseline to follow-up</p></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p><italic>Self-efficacy</italic></p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td char="." align="char" /><td align="left" /><td char="." align="char" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Task self-efficacy</p></td><td align="left"><p>7.75 (7.49, 8.00)</p></td><td align="left"><p>8.86 (9.46, 9.25)</p></td><td align="left"><p>8.48 (7.96, 8.99)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.12 (0.75, 1.49)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.73 (0.23, 1.23)</p></td><td align="left"><p>7.60 (7.23, 7.97)</p></td><td align="left"><p>7.85 7.44, 9.26)</p></td><td align="left"><p>8.60 (8.15, 9.05)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.25 (− 0.12, 0.62)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.00 (0.58, 1.43)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.87 (0.34, 1.39)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.001</p></td><td align="left"><p> − 0.27 (− 0.93, 0.39)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.422</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Barrier self-efficacy</p></td><td align="left"><p>7.57 (7.31, 7.83)</p></td><td align="left"><p>8.78 (8.37, 9.19)</p></td><td align="left"><p>8.46 (7.90, 9.01)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.21 (0.81, 1.62)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.89 (0.33, 1.44)</p></td><td align="left"><p>7.13 (6.81, 7.45)</p></td><td align="left"><p>7.62 (7.21, 8.03)</p></td><td align="left"><p>8.27 (7.79, 8.74)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.49 (0.09, 0.89)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.14 (0.67, 1.60)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.82 (0.29, 1.35)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.002</p></td><td align="left"><p> − 0.29 (− 0.95, 0.38)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.395</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p><italic>Knowledge</italic></p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td char="." align="char" /><td align="left" /><td char="." align="char" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Guideline knowledge</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.44 (1.99, 2.89)</p></td><td align="left"><p>4.71 (4.11, 5.30)</p></td><td align="left"><p>3.88 (3.12, 4.63)</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.27 (1.74, 0.79)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.44 (0.73, 2.14)</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.30 (1.67, 2.93)</p></td><td align="left"><p>3.21 (2.51, 3.90)</p></td><td align="left"><p>3.20 (2.44, 3.97)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.91 (0.39, 1.42)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.90 (0.27, 1.53)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.36 (0.62, 2.10)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p> < 0.001</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.54 (− 0.41, 1.48)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.266</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Definition knowledge</p></td><td align="left"><p>4.23 (3.92, 4.55)</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.44 (499, 5.89)</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.49 (4.89, 6.09)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.21 (0.78, 1.63)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.26 (0.67, 1.84)</p></td><td align="left"><p>4.00 (3.56, 4.44)</p></td><td align="left"><p>4.52 (4.02, 5.02)</p></td><td align="left"><p>4.73 (4.17, 5.28)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.52 (0.10, 0.94)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.73 (0.23, 1.22)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.68 (0.08, 1.28)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.026</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.53 (− 0.24, 1.30)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.176</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Behavioural knowledge</p></td><td align="left"><p>4.50 (4.23, 4.77)</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.63 (5.23, 6.03)</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.92 (5.38, 6.45)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.13 (0.74, 1.51)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.41 (0.88, 1.94)</p></td><td align="left"><p>4.58 (4.20, 4.95)</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.16 (4.73, 5.59)</p></td><td align="left"><p>4.82 (4.33, 5.23)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.58 (0.20, 0.96)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.34 (− 0.21, 0.68)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.55 (0.01, 1.09)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.047</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.18 (0.48, 1.87)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p> < 0.001</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Overall Knowledge</p></td><td align="left"><p>11.19 (10.43, 11.96)</p></td><td align="left"><p>16.22 (15.19, 17.25)</p></td><td align="left"><p>15.08 (13.77, 16.39)</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.03 (4.13, 5.93)</p></td><td align="left"><p>3.89 (2.67, 5.10)</p></td><td align="left"><p>10.85 (9.79, 11.92)</p></td><td align="left"><p>12.92 (11.75, 14.10)</p></td><td align="left"><p>13.57 (12.27, 14.86)</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.07 (1.20, 2.93)</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.71 (1.66, 3.77)</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.96 (1.71, 4.21)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p> < 0.001</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.17 (− 0.44, 2.79)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.152</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p><italic>Intention</italic></p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td char="." align="char" /><td align="left" /><td char="." align="char" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Program 120 min PA</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.54 (23.90, 25.18)</p></td><td align="left"><p>26.01 (25.10, 26.91)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.71 (24.52, 26.91)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.47 (0.63, 2.31)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.17 (0.03, 2.32)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.13 (23.24, 25.02)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.03 (23.02, 25.03)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.06 (23.96, 26.16)</p></td><td align="left"><p> − 0.10 (− 0.93, 0.73)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.93 (− 0.04, 1.90)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.57 (0.39, 2.75)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.009</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.25 (− 1.26, 1.74)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.748</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Promote physical literacy</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.64(24.12, 25.16)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.79(25.02, 26.56)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.97(24.95, 26.99)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.15 (0.42, 1.89)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.34 (0.34, 2.33)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.79 (24.08, 25.50)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.72 (23.90, 25.54)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.18 (24.26, 26.09)</p></td><td align="left"><p> − 0.07 (− 0.79, 0.65)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.39 (− 0.45, 1.23)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.22 (0.19, 2.25)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.020</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.94 (− 0.36, 2.25)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.153</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Role modelling PA</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.31 (24.73, 25.89)</p></td><td align="left"><p>26.19 (25.40, 26.97)</p></td><td align="left"><p>26.09 (25.07, 27.11)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.88 (0.18, 1.57)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.78 (− 0.18, 1.73)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.48 (24.67, 26.28)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.24 (24.35, 26.13)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.38 (24.42, 26.35)</p></td><td align="left"><p> − 0.23 (− 0.92, 0.46)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.14 (− 0.72, 1.00)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.11 (0.13, 2.09)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.027</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.87 (− 0.38, 2.12)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.172</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Promote outdoor play</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.24 (23.55, 24.93)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.72 (28.82, 26.62)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.30 (24.15, 26.45)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.48 (0.70, 2.26)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.06 (− 0.00, 2.11)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.57 (23.58, 25.56)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.46 (23.40, 25.51)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.62 (23.50, 25.74)</p></td><td align="left"><p> − 0.11 (− 0.87, 0.65)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.05 (− 0.84, 0.94)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.59 (0.50, 2.68)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.004</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.01 (− 0.38, 2.39)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.152</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Lead risky play opportunities</p></td><td align="left"><p>23.51(22.84, 24.17)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.36 (24.47, 26.26)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.69 (2.52, 26.85)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.86 (1.04, 2.67)</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.18 (1.07, 3.29)</p></td><td align="left"><p>23.76 (22.48, 25.04)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.01 (22.92, 25.10)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.56 (23.44, 25.68)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.25 (− 0.55, 1.05)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.80 (− 0.13, 1.73)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.60 (0.46, 2.75)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.006</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.38 (− 0.07, 2.83)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.062</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Minimize sedentary time</p></td><td align="left"><p>23.99 (23.36, 24.61)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.86 (25.00, 26.72)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.47 (24.36, 26.57)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.87 (1.10, 2.65)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.48 (0.43, 2.53)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.31 (23.44, 25.18)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.82 (23.86, 25.71)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.66 (23.62, 25.71)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.51 (− 0.24, 1.27)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.35 (− 0.53, 1.23)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.36 (0.28, 2.44)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.014</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.13 (− 0.24, 2.50)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.106</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Avoid screen time</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.69 (23.88, 25.50)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.67 (24.62, 26.72)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.72 (24.39, 27.05)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.98 (0.09, 1.87)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.03 (− 0.18, 2.24)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.76 (23.63, 25.89)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.78 (23.55, 26.02)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.40 (23.08, 25.72)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.02 (− 0.85, 0.90)</p></td><td align="left"><p> − 0.36 (− 1.38, 0.66)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.96 (− 0.29, 2.21)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.131</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.39 (− 0.20, 2.98)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.085</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p><italic>Perceived behaviour control</italic></p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td char="." align="char" /><td align="left" /><td char="." align="char" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Program 120 min PA</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.00 (23.35, 24.65)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.32 (24.40, 26.25)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.72 (23.50, 25.95)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.33 (0.46, 2.19)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.73 (− 0.45, 1.91)</p></td><td align="left"><p>23.00 (22.00, 24.01)</p></td><td align="left"><p>23.53 (22.50, 24.56)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.21 (23.09, 25.33)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.52 (− 0.33, 1.37)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.21 (0.22, 1.74)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.80 (− 0.41, 2.02)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.193</p></td><td align="left"><p> − 0.48 (− 2.02, 1.06)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.537</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Promote physical literacy</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.17 (23.60, 24.74)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.44 (24.63, 26.24)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.15 (24.10, 26.21)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.27 (0.53, 2.01)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.98 (− 0.02, 1.99)</p></td><td align="left"><p>23.89 (23.09, 24.68)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.30 (23.40, 25.19)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.98 (24.01, 25.96)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.41 (− 0.32, 1.13)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.10 (0.25, 1.94)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.86 (− 0.17, 1.89)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.101</p></td><td align="left"><p> − 0.11 (− 1.42, 1.20)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.867</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Role modelling PA</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.02 (24.46, 25.57)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.88 (25.13, 26.65)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.24 (24.26, 26.23)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.87 (0.19, 1.55)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.22 (− 0.70, 1.15)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.83 (24.06, 25.60)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.83 (23.97, 25.68)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.22 (24.29, 26.16)</p></td><td align="left"><p> − 0.01 (− 0.67, 0.66)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.39 (− 0.39, 1.17)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.88 (− 0.07, 1.83)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.069</p></td><td align="left"><p> − 0.17 (− 1.37, 1.04)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.786</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Promote outdoor play</p></td><td align="left"><p>23.86 (23.12, 24.60)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.37 (24.39, 26.35)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.39 (23.14, 25.65)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.51 (0.66, 2.36)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.53(− 0.63, 1.70)</p></td><td align="left"><p>23.54 (22.46, 24.62)</p></td><td align="left"><p>23.64 (22.50, 24.78)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.33 (23.11, 25.54)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.10 (− 0.73, 0.94)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.79 (− 0.19, 1.76)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.41 (0.21, 2.60)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.021</p></td><td align="left"><p> − 0.25 (− 1.77, 1.27)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.743</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Lead risky play opportunities</p></td><td align="left"><p>23.14 (22.44, 23.84)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.34 (24.24, 26.44)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.09 (23.59, 26.58)</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.20 (1.12, 3.28)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.95 (0.47, 3.42)</p></td><td align="left"><p>22.21 (21.35, 23.06)</p></td><td align="left"><p>22.07 (21.98, 24.17)</p></td><td align="left"><p>23.75 (22.49, 25.02)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.87 (− 0.19, 1.93)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.55 (0.31, 2.01)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.33 (− 0.18, 2.85)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.084</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.40 (− 1.53, 2.32)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.684</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Minimize sedentary time</p></td><td align="left"><p>23.79 (23.16, 24.41)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.59 (24.72, 26.45)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.38 (23.26, 25.50)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.80 (1.02, 2.58)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.59 (− 0.47, 1.66)</p></td><td align="left"><p>23.68 (22.81, 24.54)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.49 (23.53, 25.45)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.46 (23.41, 25.51)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.81 (0.49, 1.58)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.78 (− 0.11, 1.67)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.99 (− 0.10, 2.08)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.076</p></td><td align="left"><p> − 0.19 (− 1.58, 1.20)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.788</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Avoid screen time</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.46 (23.73, 25.19)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.85 (23.83, 26.86)</p></td><td align="left"><p>25.23 (23.90, 26.57)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.39 (0.46, 2.32)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.77 (− 0.49, 2.05)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.61 (23.59, 25.62)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.83 (23.69, 25.97)</p></td><td align="left"><p>24.55 (23.30, 25.79)</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.22 (− 0.70, 1.14)</p></td><td align="left"><p> − 0.06 (− 1.13, 1.01)</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.17 (− 0.14, 2.48)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.079</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.84 (− 0.83, 2.50)</p></td><td char="." align="char"><p>0.323</p></td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>3.</p> <hd id="AN0191573892-28">Publisher's Note</hd> <p>Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.</p> <ref id="AN0191573892-29"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref28" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Adamo KB, Barrowman N, Naylor PJ, Yaya S, Harvey A, Grattan KP, Goldfield GS. 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Irwin; Rachel Heydon; Valerie Carson; Andrew M. Johnson; Kristi B. Adamo; Shauna M. Burke; Brian W. Timmons and Patricia Tucker</p> <p>Reported by Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author</p> </aug> <nolink nlid="nl1" bibid="bib32" firstref="ref1"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl2" bibid="bib44" firstref="ref2"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl3" bibid="bib13" firstref="ref3"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl4" bibid="bib31" firstref="ref4"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl5" bibid="bib21" firstref="ref5"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl6" bibid="bib40" firstref="ref6"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl7" bibid="bib17" firstref="ref7"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl8" bibid="bib36" firstref="ref10"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl9" bibid="bib12" firstref="ref11"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl10" bibid="bib37" firstref="ref12"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl11" bibid="bib39" firstref="ref13"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl12" bibid="bib47" firstref="ref14"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl13" bibid="bib30" firstref="ref15"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl14" bibid="bib18" firstref="ref16"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl15" bibid="bib41" firstref="ref17"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl16" bibid="bib11" firstref="ref18"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl17" bibid="bib14" firstref="ref19"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl18" bibid="bib15" firstref="ref20"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl19" bibid="bib29" firstref="ref22"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl20" bibid="bib34" firstref="ref23"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl21" bibid="bib33" firstref="ref24"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl22" bibid="bib23" firstref="ref25"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl23" bibid="bib16" firstref="ref26"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl24" bibid="bib22" firstref="ref27"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl25" bibid="bib38" firstref="ref30"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl26" bibid="bib43" firstref="ref31"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl27" bibid="bib46" firstref="ref32"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl28" bibid="bib28" firstref="ref33"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl29" bibid="bib24" firstref="ref34"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl30" bibid="bib10" firstref="ref36"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl31" bibid="bib42" firstref="ref41"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl32" bibid="bib27" firstref="ref50"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl33" bibid="bib19" firstref="ref52"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl34" bibid="bib25" firstref="ref53"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl35" bibid="bib45" firstref="ref54"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl36" bibid="bib20" firstref="ref56"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl37" bibid="bib26" firstref="ref57"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl38" bibid="bib35" firstref="ref58"></nolink>
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  Data: The Efficacy of the TEACH e-Learning Course at Improving Early Childhood Education Students' Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Related Self-Efficacy, Knowledge, Intentions, and Perceived Behavioural Control
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  Data: English
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Myranda+Hawthorne%22">Myranda Hawthorne</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0009-0001-1078-0122">0009-0001-1078-0122</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Matthew+Bourke%22">Matthew Bourke</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Brianne+A%2E+Bruijns%22">Brianne A. Bruijns</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Leigh+M%2E+Vanderloo%22">Leigh M. Vanderloo</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jennifer+D%2E+Irwin%22">Jennifer D. Irwin</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rachel+Heydon%22">Rachel Heydon</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Valerie+Carson%22">Valerie Carson</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Andrew+M%2E+Johnson%22">Andrew M. Johnson</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kristi+B%2E+Adamo%22">Kristi B. Adamo</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Shauna+M%2E+Burke%22">Shauna M. Burke</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Brian+W%2E+Timmons%22">Brian W. Timmons</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Patricia+Tucker%22">Patricia Tucker</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education+Journal%22"><i>Early Childhood Education Journal</i></searchLink>. 2026 54(2):645-660.
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  Data: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
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  Data: Y
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  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 16
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  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2026
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Label: Education Level
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education%22">Early Childhood Education</searchLink>
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  Label: Descriptors
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Preservice+Teachers%22">Preservice Teachers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Preservice+Teacher+Education%22">Preservice Teacher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+Childhood+Teachers%22">Early Childhood Teachers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Physical+Activities%22">Physical Activities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self+Efficacy%22">Self Efficacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Knowledge+Level%22">Knowledge Level</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Intention%22">Intention</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self+Control%22">Self Control</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Canada%22">Canada</searchLink>
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  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1007/s10643-025-01855-5
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  Label: ISSN
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  Data: 1082-3301<br />1573-1707
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Promoting high levels of physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour in early childhood is essential for children's health and wellbeing. However, despite existing recommendations, pre-service early childhood educators do not receive adequate training to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour among young children in childcare settings. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the TEACH e-Learning course in enhancing physical activity and sedentary behaviour-related self-efficacy, knowledge, and behavioural intentions among a sample of pre-service early childhood educators (ECEs) across Canada. For this study, a quasi-experimental design was used, with participants (175 intervention, 117 comparison) recruited from 19 English-speaking Canadian colleges and universities offering pre-service ECE programs. The intervention group completed a 4-module e-Learning course on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, including subtopics on risky play and screen time. Data were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up using validated questionnaires. Changes in outcomes (e.g., self-efficacy, knowledge, behaviour intentions and control) were examined using linear mixed-effects models. Significant improvements were observed in the intervention group's task self-efficacy (d = 0.54), knowledge of physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines (d = 0.66), and intentions to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour (0.38 ≤ d ≤ 0.44) post-intervention compared to the comparison group. However, these gains were not sustained at the 3-month follow-up. Perceived behavioural control showed limited improvement, and the intervention did not significantly impact intentions to avoid screen time. The TEACH e-Learning course improved short-term self-efficacy, knowledge, and behavioural intentions related to physical activity and sedentary behaviour among pre-service ECEs. However, the results of this study have shown that there are factors affecting desired outcomes that can not be adequately resolved through short-term training. Integrating such courses into pre-service training programs could enhance ECEs' competencies in promoting physical activity, benefiting children's long-term health. Further research should explore more long-term strategies to promote retention of increases in self-efficacy, knowledge and behavioural intentions related to physical activity and sedentary behaviour among ECEs.
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  Data: 2026
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