Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40312713›Full record

Trial reportThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2025

Impact of a multi-component implementation strategy to increase outdoor free play opportunities in early childhood education and care (ECEC) services: the get outside get active (GOGA) randomised controlled trial.

Sze Lin Yoong, Nicole Pearson, Luke Giles, Hannah Lamont, Luke Wolfenden, Jannah Jones, Christophe Lecathelinais, Patti-Jean Naylor, Anthony Okely, Nicole Nathan and 7 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Sze Lin YoongGlobal Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition, Institute for Health Transformation, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, 1 Gheringhap Street, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia. s.yoong@deakin.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0836-017X
Nicole PearsonSchool of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
Luke GilesHunter New England Population Health, Wallsend, NSW, 2287, Australia.
Hannah LamontHunter New England Population Health, Wallsend, NSW, 2287, Australia.
Luke WolfendenSchool of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
Jannah JonesSchool of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
Christophe LecathelinaisHunter New England Population Health, Wallsend, NSW, 2287, Australia.
Patti-Jean NaylorSchool of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, University of Victoria, STN CSC, Mackinnon 120, PO Box 1700, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada.
Anthony OkelyEarly Start, Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia.
Nicole NathanSchool of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
Kathryn ReillySchool of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
Rebecca LorchSchool of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
John WiggersSchool of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
Jacklyn JacksonSchool of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
Melanie LumGlobal Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition, Institute for Health Transformation, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, 1 Gheringhap Street, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia.
Karen GillhamHunter New England Population Health, Wallsend, NSW, 2287, Australia.
Alice GradySchool of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.

Funding

Hunter New England Local Health District N/ANational Health and Medical Research Council APP1170042National Health and Medical Research Council APP1197022National Health and Medical Research Council GS2000053National Heart Foundation of Australia 102518Wellcome Trust 106654
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIncreased outdoor free play is associated with health and developmental benefits for preschool-aged children. It is therefore recommended that early childhood education and care (ECEC) services provide increased time for outdoor free play. This study seeks to understand the impact of a multi-component implementation strategy (Get Outside Get Active) on ECEC service provision of opportunities for outdoor free play.

methodsThis was a parallel-group randomised controlled trial involving 84 ECEC services located in one region of New South Wales, Australia. Forty-one services were randomised to a 6-month multi-component implementation strategy or to a usual care group (n = 43). To increase total scheduled outdoor free play time, services were supported to modify their routines to increase provision of outdoor free play and/or indoor-outdoor free play opportunities (whereby children are allowed to move freely between indoor and outdoor spaces). The primary trial outcome, mean minutes per day of outdoor free play opportunities provided in ECEC services, was measured at baseline, 6-months (primary endpoint), and 18-months. Secondary outcomes were mean minutes of indoor-outdoor free play only and proportion implementing indoor-outdoor free play for the full day. The quality of the movement environment was assessed using direct observations in 30 ECECs at 6 months only.

resultsAt 6 months, the intervention group showed a significant increase in mean daily minutes of outdoor free play (61.3 min; 95% CI 2.5 to 120.01; p = 0.041) and indoor-outdoor free play (59.1 min; 95% CI 9.1 to 109.1; p = 0.021) relative to the control group. However, no significant between-group differences were observed at 18 months. The proportion implementing a full-day indoor-outdoor program (OR 1.97; 95% CI 0.81 to 4.78; p = 0.196) and the quality of movement environments did not differ between groups at 6 months.

conclusionsThe implementation strategy significantly increased outdoor free play opportunities in ECEC services post-intervention, though the between group effects were not sustained at 18 months. Future research should focus on ensuring the long-term impact of implementation strategies and understanding the factors driving changes in control group behaviour.

trial registrationThis trial was prospectively registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12621000987864).

Indexed as

ExerciseHealth PromotionPlay and PlaythingsChild Day Care CentersChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansMaleNew South WalesEarly childhood education and careFree playImplementation trialIndoor-outdoorOutdoor playPhysical activityRandomised controlled trial

Identifiers

PMID40312713
PMCPMC12046965

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.