A comparison of parent and childcare provider's attitudes and perceptions about preschoolers' physical activity and outdoor time

Background Young children depend on adult caregivers to provide opportunities for physical activity. Research has focused on barriers and facilitators to children's physical activity while in childcare, but parental influences remain largely unknown. This study examines parent's attitudes about preschoolers' physical activity and outdoor time, compares them with those of childcare providers and determines the association between parental attitudes and preschoolers' measured activity. Methods Parents and childcare providers from 30 childcare centres were surveyed regarding attitudes towards preschoolers' physical activity and outdoor time. Children's moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity was determined by using 24‐h accelerometry. Parent and childcare providers' responses were compared. Mixed‐effect linear regression examined moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity and sedentary time as outcomes with parental attitudes as predictors, family demographics as covariates and centre as a random effect. Results Three hundred eighty‐eight parents and 151 childcare providers participated. On average, children were 4.3 (0.7) years old. Parents and childcare providers both considered daily physical activity important for preschoolers, but providers rated the importance of daily outdoor time higher on a 10‐point scale (8.9 vs. 7.6, P