Optimizing outdoor play strategies to boost young children’s physical activity
Official title: Optimization of multi-level approaches in early childhood education settings to improve children’s physical activity
Funded at University of Kansas Medical Center · NIH-11427106 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research project helps early childhood programs find the best, practical changes to outdoor play and classroom practices to get kids moving more.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Kansas Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Kansas City, United States) |
| Project start | September 8, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $695,490 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HD122960-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11427106 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are young children in early childhood education settings (0-5 years old) whose programs are willing to adopt new outdoor play practices.
✕Less likely to help
Children in programs with limited outdoor access or where implementation is not feasible may see little or no benefit.
What this research studies
This project tests a set of practical, multi-level changes in early childhood settings to increase outdoor activity among 0-5 year-olds. Using the MOST framework, researchers will identify which components work best and are easiest for programs to sustain, while measuring impact on children’s physical activity and health indicators. The study embeds implementation checks so that findings are directly usable by real-world ECE programs, with attention to cost and staff turnover. Parents and teachers could see clearer guidance on how to create more active, healthier environments for young children.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could yield a scalable toolkit of practices that increase outdoor activity and support healthy growth for many young children.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies show that structured, context-aware changes can improve physical activity in children, but this project tests an optimized package for diverse ECE settings.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Kansas Medical Center
Kansas City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kracht, Chelsea L — University of Kansas Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Kracht, Chelsea L
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.