Objectives: The purpose of this research is to examine whether perceived fundamental movement skills (FMS) competence mediated the relationship between actual FMS and physical activity (PA) in Hong Kong preschool-aged children. Design: A cross−sectional study. Methods: 148 preschool-aged children (43% girls; mean age = 4.52 ± 0.67 years) from five preschools/childcare centres completed all assessments. Actual FMS was rated using the Test of Gross Motor Development−2, whilst perceived FMS was assessed via the Pictorial Scale for Perceived Movement Skill Competence. PA was measured through accelerometry. A bootstrap method was used to assess the potential mediating effect of perceived movement skill competence on the relationship between actual FMS and PA. All mediation models were adjusted for sex and age. Results: Mediation analyses showed that the direct path between actual FMS and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was significant (b = 0.228, p = 0.008), as was the path between MVPA and actual FMS (b = 0.214, p = 0.008). However, perceived FMS competence did not mediate the association between actual FMS and MVPA in the models. Conclusions: Our results showed evidence of reciprocal pathways between actual FMS and MVPA, reinforcing the need to simultaneously target both domains as part of broader developmental strategies, initiated in early childhood. Unlike emergent adolescence, perceptions of movement skill competence do not play a significant role in influencing the relationship between actual FMS proficiency and MVPA in this developmental period. Copyright © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Encouraging active participation in physical activities among kindergarten children is a key priority in Hong Kong’s Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide (Curriculum Development Council [CDC], 2017), under the learning area of Physical Fitness and Health. Despite this emphasis, there is limited knowledge on physical activities and fundamental movement skills (FMS) teachers practice in kindergartens. Moreover, little is known about how the Education Bureau (EDB)’s inspectors assess the quality of the physical activities implemented by teachers.This dissertation portfolio draws on Stork and Sanders’s (2008) theoretical framework of high-quality physical activity programs in early childhood education. The aim of the dissertation was to depict the landscape of physical activity practices in Hong Kong kindergartens. To achieve the aim, three empirical studies were conducted. Studies 1 and 2 were survey studies involving 526 kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong. Specifically, Study 1 examined the frequency of various types of physical activities conducted by Hong Kong teachers in kindergarten across different grade levels (K1, K2, K3) and the availability and utilization of venues for these activities. Study 2 explored the frequency of various FMS practiced in the physical activities conducted by these same teachers and the association among these FMS based on the frequency of use in classrooms across the three grade levels. Data were analyzed using descriptive and parametric statistical analyses. Study 1 revealed the prevalent use of low-intensity and low-risk physical activities. Indoor venues were commonly found in kindergartens and utilized more often for such activities than outdoor venues. Study 2 highlighted an imbalance in the types of FMS practiced by teachers. Some skills, such as “riding on pedal tricycles or bikes,” were frequently practiced, whereas others, like “digging in sandbox,” were rare. Findings highlighted the crucial role of the variable grade level

This study investigated the influence of parental attributes and practices on the promotion of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) guidelines in young children during a period of school suspension. We surveyed parents (N = 357) who had at least one preschool-aged child in Hong Kong. Parents' perceived difficulties in ensuring sufficient PA and limited SB were heightened during school suspension relative to regular school time. The time spent by children performing daily PA decreased to 72.5% relative to regular school time. Contrasting with theorized relationships, parents with more positive PA-related attributes reported greater difficulty in promoting PA and SB guidelines during school suspension. The findings highlight the importance of parental support when family routines are disrupted. Recommendations include the dissemination of health information and the development of resources for indoor PA. Multifaceted approaches should acknowledge individual and contextual factors, supported by further research on PA-related parenting within relevant sociocultural contexts. Copyright © 2024 Taylor and Francis Ltd.

Objective: Physical activity (PA) is critical for healthy development in preschoolers, with long-lasting benefits that can affect later life. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children aged 5–17 years should engage in 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous PA per day. However, physical inactivity in children is on the rise globally, with declines in PA starting at the age of 4 years. Increasing PA during early childhood is important to delay adiposity rebound, promote behavioral changes, improve physical fitness, and facilitate future PA engagement. However, limited evidence has been established on the effects of school-based PA interventions on preschoolers. This study examines the effects and sustainability of a preschool-based PA intervention on increasing PA, improving physical fitness and health in preschoolers, with the exercise dose benchmarked to the WHO PA guidelines. Methods: This assessor-blinded, two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial will include 3300 preschoolers (aged 5–6 years) from 110 kindergartens in Hong Kong, China. Kindergartens will be randomized into intervention and control groups in a 1:1 ratio. The control kindergartens will continue their usual curriculum of ∼2.5 h PA/week, whereas preschoolers in the intervention kindergartens will engage in an additional 75-min game-based PA class twice per week (extra 2.5 h PA/week) over the preschool year. This multi-component intervention will also target parents, teachers, and the kindergarten environment to further encourage PA in preschoolers and their families. Objectively measured PA, cardiorespiratory fitness and other physical fitness components (muscle strength and power, agility, balance, flexibility, body composition), and psychological health will be examined at the start (0 month) and end (10 months) of the preschool year. Maintenance effects will be assessed after preschoolers’ transition into primary school (16 months). Generalized estimating equations or other appropriate

Flipped learning is a pedagogical approach that directs instruction from a group to an individual learning space. This approach can stimulate students’ motivation, promote adequate physical activity levels, and reduce sedentary (SED) behaviour. Addressing the literature gap regarding the correlations among these factors in school physical education (PE), this study aimed to examine the association of students’ motivation, physical activity levels, and SED behaviour with flipped learning in a four-lesson learning unit. Framed by self-determination theory, a quasi-experimental design was adopted to measure and compare the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), SED, and motivation levels of 111 primary school students aged between 10 and 11 years (mean = 10.07, standard deviation =.26) in Hong Kong. Fifty-two of the participants were female, and 59 were male. They were randomly assigned to experimental (n = 57) and control (n = 54) groups, in which a flipped learning approach was adopted in the experimental group for two weeks. A questionnaire survey and accelerometers were used to measure participants’ motivation (autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, and amotivation) and their physical activity levels. The findings revealed significantly higher MVPA levels and lower SED levels in the experimental group. Autonomous motivation was found to have a positive correlation with MVPA levels and a negative correlation with SED levels, indicating a positive predictor of the two. The findings of this study reveal the potential of flipped learning to enhance students’ MVPA and reduce their SED behaviour during primary school PE lessons. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s).

Physical education continuous professional development (PE-CPD) has been vaunted as a powerful influence on teachers' professional competence and subsequent student learning. Despite this proposition, there remains limited empirical evidence for the effect of teacher participation in CPD on student learning outcomes. In light of this void, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of an eight-month PE-CPD program on students' perceived physical literacy, motivation and enjoyment of physical education. A randomized control trial design was used to assign a sample of 65 physical education teachers from Hong Kong to the CPD and control intervention groups. Students' (n = 1,485) perceived physical literacy, motivation and enjoyment of physical education measures were collected across three phases of the program (post-program, eight-month follow-up, and 14-month follow-up). Repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted to analyze changes in student learning outcomes across the three phases of the intervention. Results revealed low significant interaction effects of perceived physical literacy, motivation, and enjoyment across time depending on the participation level in CPD. The findings of this study provide an important addition to the extant literature on CPD, by revealing that teachers' commitment to participation in professional development may have a sustained influence on student affective learning outcomes. Copyright © 2022 Elsevier.

Background: Early childhood is a critical period during which patterns of movement behaviors are formed. The World Health Organization had endorsed guidelines for physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep over a 24-h time period, which had been adopted by the Center for Health Protection of Hong Kong. This paper reports on stakeholder engagements that were conducted to inform the design of strategies to disseminate the guidelines in early childhood education (ECE) settings. Methods: Using a mixed-methods study design, we sought to (a) assess the stakeholders' levels of awareness and knowledge of the Hong Kong movement guidelines for young children and (b) identify the factors that influence the uptake of the said guidelines. We conducted an online survey of early childhood education teachers (N =314), twelve focus groups involving teachers (N = 18) and parents (N = 18), and individual interviews of key informants (N = 7) and domestic workers who provide care for preschool-aged children (N = 7). Descriptive statistics were used for the quantitative data, and thematic analysis was performed on the qualitative data using an inductive and semantic approach following a realist framework. Findings: Our findings show that teachers were aware of the movement guidelines for young children, but their knowledge of the specific guidelines was deficient; parents and domestic workers had limited awareness and knowledge of the guidelines. Uptake of the movement guidelines is enabled by parent engagement, activities in the ECE centers, home-school cooperation, and community activities for children. The challenges include the time poverty of parents, local curriculum requirements, limited physical spaces, social values, and pandemic-related restrictions. Conclusion: We recommend that dissemination strategies in the ECE context should deliver knowledge content and support stakeholders in mitigating the challenges associated with time, space, and social conditions. Copyright © 2022

Physical activity (PA) is important for young children in achieving positive health outcomes and there is growing evidence suggesting that PA and fitness play an important role in children’s brain development and academic performance. Studies of preschool children typically show that few meet recommended daily PA levels. Meanwhile many preschoolers worldwide attend preschools, but little is known about their on-campus PA or the factors that influence it, especially during classroom sessions. The purpose of this study was to use a validated instrument to conduct a micro-analysis of student PA levels, lesson contexts, and teacher prompts for PA during classroom sessions. We assessed these factors during 165 classroom sessions taught by 25 teachers in four preschools. The sessions occurred prior to (PRE-PE) or following the PE lessons (POST-PE) that we described in an earlier paper (Chow et al., 2015) . Children spent classroom time primarily sitting (76%) and standing (13%), while engaging in PA (mostly of low or moderate intensity) 11% of the time. PA occurred mostly during lesson transitions and music time. Overall, boys were more active than girls (MVPA% = 12.1 vs. 8.8), and teachers rarely promoted either in-class or out-of class student PA. The study contributes to the limited literature on PA and its related contexts in preschools. The results have implications for providing pre-service and in-service teacher education related to the importance of PA and how to implement it. Expanded surveillance studies are recommended. In addition to using questionnaires and accelerometers or pedometers to assess PA, the studies should include observation methods so that important on-site and potentially modifiable contexts can be assessed directly. Copyright © 2015 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Background: Adolescents (11-18-year-olds) are at risk of physical inactivity. There is limited knowledge of physical activity (PA) levels among adolescents in the school setting in Hong Kong. We developed and tested a novel theoretical model of how household/family characteristics, school-level social and physical environmental factors and individual adolescent's characteristics impact on their school-based PA during and after school hours.; Methods: Cross-sectional study participants were Hong Kong adolescents attending secondary school, paired with their parent/caregiver (n = 1299 dyads). Parents survey-reported on household/family characteristics, parental PA and rules related to PA. Adolescents survey-reported on school PA-friendly policy, PA equipment at school (combined to create PA-friendly index), social support for PA from peers, athletic ability, attitude to and enjoyment of PA. Adolescents self-reported their school-based PA during school hours (physical education; recess) and after school (sports teams/classes). Objectively-measured moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) was measured using accelerometers for a sub-sample of adolescents (n = 588). Generalized additive mixed models were used to estimate how household/family-level and school-level factors, and adolescents' individual characteristics were related to adolescents' school-based PA in Hong Kong, and to identify potential mediators of these associations.; Results: A complex network of potential pathways of influence on adolescents' school-based PA was identified. Overall, most of the significant effects were indirect ones. However, there were far fewer significant pathways between household/family characteristics and objectively-measured MVPA at school than there were for self-reported PA at school. In fact, there were no indirect pathways between these variables and MVPA at school. Gender disparities among pathways were identified. For example, school PA-friendly index was significantly associated with MVPA

Background: Healthy movement behaviors in early childhood are believed to track to adulthood, potentially imparting protective benefits against non-communicable diseases. Highlighting the collaborative and complementary roles of parents and educators in promoting health of young children, this study aims to enable parents and teachers to successfully promote healthy movement behaviors in young children. Guidelines for physical activity, sedentary screen time, and sleep of children aged 2 to 6 years will be systematically disseminated to parents and teachers of children enrolled in early childhood education centers (ECECs) in Hong Kong. An evaluation will be conducted to assess the implementation process and the outcomes of the dissemination of said guidelines. Methods: The evaluation will include formative and summative components to examine the implementation (i.e., process evaluation) and the outcomes (i.e., outcome evaluation). Participants include teachers, parents, and children from ECECs in Hong Kong. The process evaluation will be guided by the RE-AIM framework (i.e., reach, efficacy, adaptation, implementation, maintenance). Data gathering and analysis will take a mixed-methods triangulation design - convergence model. The outcome evaluation consists of a non-randomized observational study, using quantitative data from questionnaires and accelerometers. The primary outcome to be measured is the extent to which children meet the guidelines for physical activity, sedentary screen time, and sleep; the secondary outcome is teachers’ and parents’ knowledge and awareness of the guidelines. Discussion: Young children who engage in healthy movement behaviors are likely to become adults who will have the disposition to engage in behaviors that have protective effects against non-communicable diseases. The findings of this evaluation are expected to contribute to improving the strategies of systems and government agencies that aspire to promote healthy movement behaviors