Mission

GO SHAPES will deliver an online professional training program, recently developed by CPARG, to staff members of childcare centers across the state of South Carolina. The program is intended to increase the physical activity levels of young children attending child care centers by preparing teachers to incorporate increased physical activity into their normal daily routines.

Background

The online program is based on previous research by CPARG which has identified effective strategies for promoting physical activity in children in childcare centers.

Involvement

During the funding period, the program will be delivered to approximately 4800 teachers in 600 childcare centers. Special emphasis will be given to include centers that serve children whose childcare enrollment is subsidized by the Department of Social Services SC Voucher Program, which is associated with the DSS ABC Quality Improvement Program for childcare centers. In addition, the project will recruit a higher percentage in SC Congressional Districts 5, 6, and 7, areas experiencing the highest levels of health disparities, including childhood obesity.

Project Details

Timeline: January 2017-December 2019
Funding Source: BlueCrossBlueShield of South Carolina Foundation
Principal Investigator: Russell R. Pate
Co-Investigator(s): William Brown, Kerry Cordan, Ruth Saunders
Website: http://goshapes.org/

Saunders RP, Pfeiffer K, Brown WH, Howie EK, Dowda M, O’Neill JR, McIver K, Pate RR. Evaluating and refining the conceptual model used in the study of health and activity in preschool environments (SHAPES) intervention. Health Education & Behavior. 2017 Dec;44(6):876-84. [pdf]

Kennedy AB, Schenkelberg M, Moyer C, Pate R, Saunders RP. Process evaluation of a preschool physical activity intervention using web-based delivery. Evaluation and program planning. 2017 Feb 1;60:24-36.[pdf]