Promoting Healthy Eating and Physical Activity in the Early Care and Education Setting as a Strategy to Improve Teacher Knowledge and Self-Efficacy

Abstract

Obesity prevention should begin in early childhood, when children are learning nutrition and physical activity behaviors. Early childhood education (ECE) teachers’ ability to encourage children’s healthy eating and activity is related to their knowledge and self-efficacy. This study evaluated the effects of the Healthy Child Care Georgia intervention on teachers’ nutrition-related knowledge and self-efficacy. After in-depth training, teachers incorporated 30 hands-on activities into their curriculum and made improvements to classroom policies for six weeks. Teacher knowledge and self-efficacy were measured with the Confidence about Nutrition and Activity (CAN-Teach) survey before, immediately after, and 4 weeks after the intervention. Teachers in the immediate-intervention group implemented activities immediately after training. Teachers in the control/delayed-intervention group served as controls for the immediate-intervention group, and completed a second CAN-Teach assessment after the immediate intervention. Teacher knowledge and self-efficacy in the improved between baseline and the end of the intervention for both groups. These improvements persisted at the 4-week follow-up. Teachers in the control/delayed-intervention group did not show improvements in self-efficacy during the control period (between baseline and the end of the immediate intervention), but did show improvements between baseline and the end of implementing the delayed intervention. The HCCG intervention shows evidence of improving teachers’ knowledge and self-efficacy related to early obesity prevention. In-depth teacher training and one-on-one nutrition coaching are effective strategies to increase teacher knowledge and self-efficacy related to nutrition and physical activity.