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. 2021 May 7;18(9):4973.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18094973.

Which Meso-Level Characteristics of Early Childhood Education and Care Centers Are Associated with Health, Health Behavior, and Well-Being of Young Children? Findings of a Scoping Review

Raphael M Herr  1 , Katharina Diehl  1 , Sven Schneider  1 , Nina Osenbruegge  1 , Nicole Memmer  1 , Steffi Sachse  2 , Stephanie Hoffmann  3 , Benjamin Wachtler  4 , Max Herke  5 , Claudia R Pischke  6 , Anna Novelli  7 , Jennifer Hilger-Kolb  1
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Which Meso-Level Characteristics of Early Childhood Education and Care Centers Are Associated with Health, Health Behavior, and Well-Being of Young Children? Findings of a Scoping Review

Raphael M Herr et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Characteristics of early childhood education and care (ECEC) centers might be relevant for children's health. This scoping review aims to provide an overview of the association between meso-level characteristics (MLCs) of ECEC centers with children's health, health behavior, and wellbeing. Five databases were searched for quantitative and qualitative research articles published in English or German since 1 January 2000 on health, health behavior, and wellbeing of children aged 0 to 6 years considering MLCs of ECEC centers. Two authors screened 10,396 potentially eligible manuscripts and identified 117 papers, including 3077 examinations of the association between MLCs and children's health indicators (Kappas > 0.91). Five categories of MLCs were identified: (1) structural characteristics, (2) equipment/furnishings, (3) location, (4) facilities/environment, (5) culture/activities/policies/practices, and 6) staff. Only very few studies found an association of MLCs with body weight/obesity, and general health and wellbeing. Especially physical activity and mental health were related to MLCs. In general, the location (rural vs. urban, neighborhood status) seemed to be a relevant health aspect. MLCs of ECEC centers appeared relevant for child health indicators to different degrees. Future research should focus on these associations, in detail, to identify concrete ECEC indicators that can support health promotion in early childhood.

Keywords: early childhood education and care (ECEC) centers; health; health behavior; health inequalities; kindergarten; meso-level characteristics; scoping review; socioeconomic position; young children.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram (according to the recommendations of Moher et al. 2009 for reporting reviews [15]).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Frequency of ECEC center characteristics examined in the scoping review (%, n).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Frequency of health indicators examined in the scoping review (%, n).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Associations between ECEC center MLCs with health, health behavior, and wellbeing of children.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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