A Participatory Parental Intervention Promoting Physical Activity in Preschools

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Physical Activity; Obesity
• Interventions: Behavioral: parent-focused intervention; Behavioral: twice weekly gym lessons

• Registration Number: NCT00987532
• Lead Sponsor: Universitätsmedizin Mannheim

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to test whether a parent-focused participatory intervention in addition to gym lessons can enhance preschoolers physical activity compared to gym lessons alone.

Detailed Description

Over the last 20 years, physical activity (PA) in children has rapidly decreased in both developed and developing nations. More effective interventions to prevent inactivity in childhood thus are urgently needed. The preschool years, including the adiposity rebound period, might represent a good window of opportunity. Study literature suggests that targeting parents is crucial for lasting changes in young childrens' behavior. However, it is not known which methods are effective for involving parents in physical activity promotion. Consistent with experience from community-based participatory research, encouraging parents to participate the intervention in terms of content and structure might lead to higher intervention effectivity and sustainability. In our study, we therefore "enriched" a child-centered physical activity intervention in preschools (twice weekly gym lessons over 6 months) with a parent-focused participatory community intervention component.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2008-09
• Study First Submitted: 2009-09-30
• Study First Submitted QC: 2009-09-30
• Study First Posted: 2009-10-01
• Primary Completion: 2010-09
• Study Completion: 2011-03
• Status Verified: 2023-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-05-09
• Last Update Posted: 2023-05-11

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 1047

Inclusion Criteria

• age 3-6 years

Exclusion Criteria

• severe atopic dermatitis,
• serious acute infectious diseases,
• physical malformations, and
• severe physical disabilities.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
parent intervention plus gym lessons	parent-focused intervention	Parent-focused participatory preschool intervention in addition to twice weekly gym lessons over 6 months. The participatory intervention includes parents, teachers and children.
parent intervention plus gym lessons	twice weekly gym lessons	Parent-focused participatory preschool intervention in addition to twice weekly gym lessons over 6 months. The participatory intervention includes parents, teachers and children.
gym lessons only	twice weekly gym lessons	Twice weekly one-hour gym lessons delivered by a specially trained external physical education teacher over 6 months

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Absolute change in mean accelerometry counts over 6 days	baseline, end of intervention, six months after end of intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Body Mass Index	baseline, end of intervention, six months after end of intervention

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Mannheim Institute of Public Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University; 🇩🇪 Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany