Effects of Sustainability via Active Garden Education on preschool-aged children's locomotor skills

Authors: DE MELLO, GABRIELLI - Texas A&M Agrilife; SZESZULSKI, JACOB - Texas A&M Agrilife; O'CONNOR, TERESIA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); LORENZO, ELIZABETH - University Of Texas Medical Branch; HILL, JENNIE - University Of Utah; LEE, REBECCA - Arizona State University

Submitted to: Translational Behavioral Medicine
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/18/2025
Publication Date: 10/5/2025
Citation: de Mello, G.T., Szeszulski, J., O'Connor, T., Lorenzo, E., Hill, J.L., Lee, R.E. 2025. Effects of Sustainability via Active Garden Education on preschool-aged children's locomotor skills. Translational Behavioral Medicine. 15. Article ibaf052. https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibaf052.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibaf052

Interpretive Summary: This study looked at how a program called SAGE (Sustainability via Active Garden Education) helped preschool children improve their movement skills — like hopping and sliding — which are important for their health now and in the future. SAGE is a program that combines gardening, healthy eating, and physical activity. It was created with input from community members in two U.S. cities. The program set up gardens at childcare centers and taught kids through 12 one-hour lessons that included active songs, games, and learning about fruits and vegetables. Researchers studied 173 children (average age 4 1/2 years) to see if SAGE helped them move better. They measured how many laps kids could run (a fitness test) and how well they could do movements like hopping and sliding. The study found that all kids improved their movement skills over time, regardless whether they were in a facility with the SAGE garden. Kids who participated in SAGE got even better at hopping than those who did not. The number of games played and skills taught did not change the results. Helping young children develop basic movement skills through fun, garden-based activities can support improvement in some motor activities for young chidlren.

Technical Abstract: Physical activity and locomotor skills influence children's current and future health trajectories. The purpose of this study was to (i) assess the effect of Sustainability via Active Garden Education (SAGE) intervention on locomotor skills in children, and (ii) test whether changes were related to the fidelity and dose of the program. SAGE installed a garden in early care and education (ECE) facilities and implemented a curriculum consisting of 12 one-hour sessions to promote healthy eating and physical activity. Quantitative locomotor skills were assessed by the number of laps completed on the progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run (PACER), while qualitative assessment was conducted using the CHAMPS protocol. Fidelity was the number of active games completed, while dose was the number of gross motor skills implemented. Two-level linear mixed models adjusted by sex and age examined the effects of SAGE on locomotor outcomes. Fidelity and dose were tested as moderators. A total of 173 children [50.90% boys; mean age 4.43 years (SD: 0.38)] participated in the study. Significant improvements over time were observed on overall qualitative locomotor score [Beta=2.51; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.32; 3.70], and the subscores of slide (Beta=1.04; 95% CI: 0.54; 1.55) and hop (ß = 1.16; 95% CI: 0.61; 1.72). There was a significant effect of SAGE on the hop skill score in the intervention group compared to control (Beta=1.14; 95% CI: 0.41; 2.24). Fidelity and dose delivered did not moderate changes. Children's overall qualitative locomotor score, hop, and slide skills increased across both groups. Participation in SAGE improved the hop locomotor skill.