Speakers
Description
Objectives: Prior to Covid-19, we highlighted the growth of franchises and companies offering enrichment activities for the early years (0-5 years) market. However, the pandemic saw unprecedented restrictions placed on all aspects of life. As a result, the once everyday family routines suddenly changed and regular leisure activities were cancelled. We sought to explore how physical activity was managed by parents of pre-school children and how this changed during the pandemic.
Methods: A UK national online survey was disseminated and completed by 925 parents. Sixteen follow-up semi-structured interviews were undertaken with parents who had left contact details on the survey.
Findings and Discussion: Generally, the pandemic resulted in a reduction in physical activity in early years children. Many parents sought to utilise informal play and online physical activity. However, families often experienced challenges keeping their pre-school children active such as home working, access to technology, the weather, access to indoor and outdoor space, as well as the lack of structure, routine, social engagement and specialist spaces previously provided by franchises and companies.
Conclusion: Due to the nature of the pandemic and the age range of the young children, it was the parents who ultimately made decisions about physical activity and our results have provided a unique insight into those decisions. Whilst routines changed during the various 'lockdowns', the vast majority of parents in our study were keen for their pre-schooler to return to their pre-lockdown activities in order for their young child(ren) to be physically active in an environment with other young children.
