SKIPping With PAX: An Integrated Gross Motor and Social-Emotional Skill Intervention

The purpose of this study was to test the effects of an integrated intervention on the gross motor and social-emotional development of rural preschool boys and girls. A secondary purpose was to examine intervention effects on physical activity and sedentary behavior. An exploratory aim was to examine the role of executive functioning skills on intervention outcomes. This study featured a repeated measures (baseline, six-month posttest, three month retention [nine-month follow-up]), control group, experimental design. Classrooms were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control groups. Experimental participants received intervention while control participants received business as usual curricula.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Social Skills; Sedentary Behavior; Gross Motor Development Delay; Social Behavior
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Integrated Intervention

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 277
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • South Carolina
    • Swansea, South Carolina, United States, 29160
      • Lexington 4 Early Childhood Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 4 years to 5 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Enrolled in the early childhood center, aged 4-5 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• Enrolled in special education classroom

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Gross motor and social-emotional integrated intervention group; Participants will receive a nine-month intervention which focuses on gross motor skills, physical activity, and social-emotional skills.	Behavioral: Integrated Intervention; Gross motor and social-emotional integrated intervention
No Intervention: Control; Participants will receive the center's everyday business as usual curriculum.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Test of Gross Motor Development, Third Edition	Gross motor development assessment ranges from 0-100 with higher scores reflecting better performance.	six-month posttest
Test of Gross Motor Development, Third Edition	Gross motor development assessment ranges from 0-100 with higher scores reflecting better performance.	three-month follow-up
Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales	Social-Emotional scores range from 0-160 with higher scores reflecting better performance.	six-month posttest
Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales	Social-Emotional scores range from 0-160 with higher scores reflecting better performance.	three-month follow-up
Test of Gross Motor Development, Third Edition	Gross motor development assessment ranges from 0-100 with higher scores reflecting better performance.	Baseline
Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales	Social-Emotional scores range from 0-160 with higher scores reflecting better performance.	Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Physical Activity From Accelerometer	The accelerometer, which children wear throughout the day, records step counts which are then converted into numerical representation of levels of physical activity.	Baseline

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
NIH Toolbox Flanker Inhibitory Control & Attention Test Ages 3-7	Attention & Executive Function - The allocation of one's limited capacities to deal with an abundance of environmental stimulation. Children ages 3-17: Normative scores are provided separately for each year of age to take into account expected developmental changes A score of 100 indicates performance that was at the national average for the test-taking participant's age. A score of 115 or 85, for example, would indicate that the participant's performance is 1 SD above or below the national average, respectively, when compared with like-aged participants	Baseline
NIH Toolbox Picture Sequence Memory Test Ages 3-4;	Episodic Memory - Cognitive processes involved in the acquisition, storage, and retrieval of new information: Normative scores are provided separately for each year of age to take into account expected developmental changes A score of 100 indicates performance that was at the national average for the test-taking participant's age. A score of 115 or 85, for example, would indicate that the participant's performance is 1 SD above or below the national average, respectively, when compared with like-aged participants	Baseline
NIH Toolbox Dimensional Change Card Sort Age 3-7	Executive Function & Attention - The capacity to plan, organize, and monitor the execution of behaviors that are strategically directed in a goal-oriented manner: Normative scores are provided separately for each year of age to take into account expected developmental changes A score of 100 indicates performance that was at the national average for the test-taking participant's age. A score of 115 or 85, for example, would indicate that the participant's performance is 1 SD above or below the national average, respectively, when compared with like-aged participants	Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of South Carolina

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 1, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 31, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): February 18, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 16, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 3, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): December 7, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 20, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 18, 2025
• Last Verified: April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: Pro00091603

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No