Do Male Early Childhood Practitioners Make Young Children More Active? :

Effect of Child–Practitioner Gender Matching on Children’s Physical Activity

Abstract

To be involved in children’s physical activity is a traditional reason why early childhood care and education (ECCE) stakeholders have positive views on male ECCE practitioners. However, a question remains whether male ECCE practitioners make young children more active compared with female ECCE practitioners. Thus, this study aimed to clarify how children’s physical activity is affected by the gender of children and ECCE practitioners. We conducted an observational study in which boys and girls played tag with their male or female ECCE practitioners. Steps were counted using pedometers. Step counts of boys were lower when playing with female practitioners than with male practitioners. This suggests a possibility that boys’ physical activity is reduced when boys have less opportunity to interact daily with male ECCE practitioners. It is therefore desirable to develop guidelines to include more men in ECCE, which will improve boys’ physical health through promotion of their physical activity.