1. Introduction
obesity, Gross motor skills, energy-balance-related behaviors, prosocial behaviors
OBESITY
Organized childcare is an ideal setting to promote gross motor development in young children from low-income minority families. A three-group clustered randomized controlled trial was conducted in Head Start centers serving low-income Latino children to evaluate the impact of an 8-month comprehensive obesity-prevention intervention on children’s percentile scores for locomotive skills (LS pctl) and ball skills (BS pctl), and general motor quotient (GMQ). Trained Head Start staff delivered the center-based intervention (CBI) to modify center physical activity and nutrition policies, staff practices, and child behaviors, while the home-based intervention (HBI) offered training and support to parents for obesity prevention at home. Participants were 3-year-old children (Gross motor skills (GMS), also known as fundamental motor or movement skills, comprise stability (e.g., balancing), object control (e.g., ball throwing), and locomotor (e.g., running) movements [Additionally, GMS are linked to improved cognitive and behavioral outcomes among children such as working memory, attention, and prosocial behaviors [Despite the benefits associated with gross motor development, levels of GMS among American children are low. One study examining data from the 2012 National Health and Examination Survey National Youth Fitness Survey found that 33% of U.S. children aged 3–5 years scored below average for GMS [Hulteen et al. proposed a conceptual model that outlines developmental mechanisms that influence young children’s physical-activity trajectories and highlights the reciprocal relationship between motor-skill competence and physical activity [Varying levels of motor competence among young children are primarily influenced by differing experiences, including those related to the environment (e.g., home, preschool, built environment) as it influences the opportunities that children have to be active throughout the day [This article reports findings from ¡Míranos! Look at Us, We Are Healthy! (¡Míranos!), a multi-level obesity-prevention program for low-income Latino children enrolled in Head Start that targeted multiple energy-balance-related behaviors (e.g., diet, physical activity) via a center-based intervention (CBI) and home-based intervention (HBI) designed to reduce barriers and enhance enablers of obesity prevention [