Exploring Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviours of Kindergarten Teachers: Needs Assessment for Toybox Study Malaysia

Background/Aims: Lack of physical activity and sedentary behaviour have been linked to childhood overweight and obesity. ToyBox Study Malaysia is a preschool intervention programme that incorporates regular sessions of active play and sedentary break activities to help improve children's physical activity. Thus, this study aims to obtain an understanding of kindergarten teachers' physical activity behaviours and perception towards active learning environments prior to implementing the ToyBox programme. Methods: Focus group discussion (FGD) was conducted with 14 kindergarten teachers from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. A trained moderator facilitated the FGD sessions using a semistructured interview guide while a rapporteur took notes. The sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were coded and analysed by at least two researchers and verified by senior team members. Results: Most teachers agreed that they regularly allocate between 15 minutes to 3 hours for physical activity, which includes individual exercise, such as jogging and swimming, as well as group activities, such as playing netball or Zumba. On the other hand, all teachers reported daily screen time of 1–3 hours, including use of mobile phones and tablets, as well as watching television. The teachers reported already implementing 2–3 physical education sessions weekly, and were open to conducting sedentary break activities with their students. In conclusion, although most teachers reported doing regular physical activity, all of them also had high amounts of sedentary screen time. Conclusion: Encouragingly for the implementation of ToyBox Study Malaysia, most teachers were enthusiastic about increasing physical activity sessions and executing sedentary break activities in their kindergarten settings.