Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Dissemination of Action Schools! BC
- Conditions
- ObesityPhysical FitnessPhysical Activity
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Action Schools! BC
- Registration Number
- NCT01412203
- Lead Sponsor
- University of British Columbia
- Brief Summary
Childhood obesity is a major public health threat. Physical activity and healthy eating contribute to the maintenance of healthy weights. Individually oriented behaviour change programs may not be able to overcome the influence of what has been called an obesogenic environment. Action Schools! BC (AS! BC) used a socio-ecological approach to enhance opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating in elementary schools and created systemic change at the provincial level. AS! BC helps elementary schools customize action plans, based upon their local context, to contribute to the health and well-being of children and the school community. Pilot research showed that AS! BC was an effective and feasible model. The provincial dissemination of AS! BC has been launched and partners from across many sectors are involved to enhance the sharing of knowledge and increase the implementation of the AS! BC model across British Columbia. The dissemination provides an unprecedented opportunity for evaluating how changing the school environment can promoted healthy weights in children. The dissemination was evaluated using a cluster randomized design; 30 elementary schools (n = 1529 consented children) from four (out of five) provincial health authorities volunteered to participate.
The primary goals of the research are:
1. to determine if the Action Schools! BC (AS! BC) model is an effective approach to positively change school environments and health related behaviours of children from diverse geographical regions and cultural groups, and
2. to determine if the supports provided to schools or the community context influence the uptake and use of the AS! BC model.
This research will contribute to the science of obesity prevention and knowledge use as well as public health practice.
- Detailed Description
Not available
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 1529
- Student attends a school that has agreed to participate in the study
- Student's classroom teacher has agreed to participate in the study
- Student is in grade 4 or 5 at start of study
- Student participates in regular physical education classes at school
- Student's parents provide consent
- Student does not attend a school that has agreed to participate in the study
- Student's classroom teacher does not agree to participate in the study
- Student is not in grade 4 or 5 at start of study
- Student does not participate in regular physical education classes at school
- Student's parents do not provide consent
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Action Schools! BC Action Schools! BC School adopts the AS!BC model
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Physical activity opportunities delivered (minutes/week) School level; as measured by Weekly Teacher Logs and Interim Reports
School environment scores School level; as measured by a modified School Health Inventory
Height (cm) Student level
Weight (kg) Student level
Body mass index (kg/m^2) Student level
Physical fitness (Fitnessgram (C)) Student level
Children's leisure time physical activity (PAQ-C) Student level
Children's dietary intake Student level; 24 hour recall and food frequency survey
Physical activity interventions planned School level; as measured by Action Plans
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Contextual factors surrounding the use of the intervention School level
* School and community partnership survey
* Annual focus groups with school planning teams, regional advisory committees, parent advisory committees, the local healthy living alliance
* Semi-structured telephone interviews with school administrators, AS! BC regional facilitators, public health nursing staff, local nutritionist, municipal recreation staff and representatives of non-government organizations involved in chronic disease prevention locally
* Review of AS! BC annual reports and action plans
* Participant observation form to assess development of communities of practice
Trial Locations
- Locations (2)
University of British Columbia - Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
🇨🇦Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
University of Victoria
🇨🇦Victoria, British Columbia, Canada