The 'Mulch Factor' a Barrier to Exercise
CINCINNATI (UPI) -- A U.S. pediatrician says she is surprised at the things -- like mulch -- that result in fewer children going outside to get exercise. Lead author Dr. Kristen Copeland of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center conducted a study on barriers to outdoor physical activity at child-care centers. "It's things we never expected, from flip-flops, mulch near the playground, children who come to child care without a coat on chilly days, to teachers talking or texting on cell phones while they were supposed to be supervising the children," Copeland says in a statement. Copeland says they hadn't anticipated the "mulch factor." The many complaints about mulch in playgrounds including: children eating it, using it as weapons and getting it in their shoes. It is an issue generating "a great deal of intensity among child-care teachers, it really is," Copeland adds. The researchers conducted focus groups with 49 staff members from 34 child-care centers in the Cincinnati area. The findings are scheduled to be presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Honolulu.
CINCINNATI (UPI) -- A U.S. pediatrician says she is surprised at the things -- like mulch -- that result in fewer children going outside to get exercise. Lead author Dr. Kristen Copeland of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center conducted a study on barriers to outdoor physical activity at child-care centers. "It's things we never expected, from flip-flops, mulch near the playground, children who come to child care without a coat on chilly days, to teachers talking or texting on cell phones while they were supposed to be supervising the children," Copeland says in a statement. Copeland says they hadn't anticipated the "mulch factor." The many complaints about mulch in playgrounds including: children eating it, using it as weapons and getting it in their shoes. It is an issue generating "a great deal of intensity among child-care teachers, it really is," Copeland adds. The researchers conducted focus groups with 49 staff members from 34 child-care centers in the Cincinnati area. The findings are scheduled to be presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Honolulu.
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