Abstract
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Introduction Childcare settings have been widely
identified as important venues for promoting healthy
lifestyles to children. Out-of-school hours care (OSHC)
is a rapidly growing childcare service, yet there has
been limited research reported on healthy eating and
physical activity (HEPA) environments within the Australian
OSHC setting. This research aims to describe the HEPA
environments related to foods and beverages served, staff
behaviours and child physical activity levels across two
local health districts within New South Wales, Australia.
This study will provide evidence to support future
interventions and policies in Australian OSHC settings.
Methods and analysis A cross-sectional study design
will be used to describe the food and beverages provided
and child activity levels, and report on environmental
correlates. OSHC programmes will be visited on nonconsecutive weekdays between 2018 and 2020. The
frequency of foods and beverages offered will be observed
and categorised into food groups aligned to the Australian
Dietary Guidelines. Children’s physical activity will be
measured using ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometers.
Staff behaviour will be captured via direct observation and
the System for Observing Staff Promotion of Activity and
Nutrition. Short interviews with programme directors will
gather contextual information about OSHC practices and
policies.
Ethics and dissemination Findings will be disseminated
through peer-reviewed scientific journals, conference
presentations and individualised feedback to each
participating service. Ethical approval was granted by
the University of Wollongong Human Research Ethics
Committee (HE17/490).