Assessing the Health Promotion Policies and Practices at Dutch Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Locations: A Quantitative Study among ECEC Staff

The early childhood environment plays a pivotal role in a child's health, development, and opportunities in the later stages of their lives. Therefore, the early childhood education and care (ECEC) setting could be essential to health promotion interventions. This study explored the current health promotion policies and practices within the Dutch ECEC setting, as well as the differences in policies and practices over time. A quantitative study was conducted in South Limburg, a region in southern Netherlands, with survey data collected in 2020 and 2022 among pedagogical staff members. The online questionnaire evaluated health promotion policies and practices related to nutrition, physical activity, media use and green environments, and was filled in by staff from 123 ECEC locations in 2020 and 141 ECEC locations in 2022. Descriptive statistics were calculated and Pearson Chi-Square tests were performed to assess the differences between 2020 and 2022. Results showed that policies and practices within the ECEC setting mainly focused on nutrition and physical activity, while media use and green environment received less attention. Notably, there was a significant increase over time in the implementation of various nutrition and physical activity practices. This change may be attributed to the enhanced adoption of health promotion and obesity prevention interventions in ECEC settings within the region. More research is needed on the use and implementation of policies, practices and interventions regarding other health promotion topics within the Dutch ECEC setting.