Healthy eating and physical activity environments in out-of-school hours care: an observational study protocol

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).