scholarly journals The Effect of Organized Versus Supervised Recess on Elementary School Children’s Participation, Physical Activity, Play, and Social Behavior: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 747-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosalie Coolkens ◽  
Phillip Ward ◽  
Jan Seghers ◽  
Peter Iserbyt
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Cluster Randomized Trial ◽  
Systematic Observation ◽  
Challenging Tasks ◽  
Children’S Participation ◽  
Children's Participation ◽  
Cluster Randomized

Background: Recess strategies that increase children’s physical activity and contribute to the daily 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) are recommended. Methods: A cluster randomized trial was conducted to examine the effect of supervised versus organized recess on children’s participation, physical activity, play, and social behavior. In supervised recess, children were free to play, and physical education (PE) teachers ensured safety. In organized recess, PE teachers provided challenging tasks. Data were collected using systematic observation. Children (N = 281; 8–10 y) from 14 schools received a 6-day parkour unit in PE and three opportunities to participate in a 20-minute parkour recess. Schools were randomized over a supervised and organized parkour recess condition. Results: The majority of children participated in parkour recess (range = 56%–85%), with more boys participating in all 3 organized versus supervised recess sessions (57% vs 35%, P = .01). Boys spent more time in MVPA during organized recess (79% vs 71%, P = .02). Boys and girls spent more time in activity games during organized recess (59% vs 46%, P = .01; 59% vs 47%, P = .001). Conclusion: Organized recess attracted more children and made the largest contribution to daily MVPA.

scholarly journals A Clinician Referral and 12-Week Exercise Training Program for Men With Prostate Cancer: Outcomes to 12 Months of the ENGAGE Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 353-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cadeyrn J. Gaskin ◽  
Melinda Craike ◽  
Mohammadreza Mohebbi ◽  
Kerry S. Courneya ◽  
Patricia M. Livingston
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Exercise Training ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Exercise Training Program ◽  
Cluster Randomized

Background:The ENGAGE (efficacy of a referral and physical activity program for survivors of prostate cancer) study established that a clinician referral and 12-week exercise training program increased vigorous physical activity at 12 weeks among men with prostate cancer. Here, we report the 6- and 12-month outcomes.Methods:In this multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial, we compared a clinician referral and exercise training program to usual care. Discounted gym membership was offered to men in the intervention condition on completion of the 12-week exercise program. Self-reported physical activity at 6 and 12 months was the primary outcome. Quality of life, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were secondary outcomes.Results:A total of 147 men meeting eligibility criteria agreed to participate (54 intervention, 93 control). A positive interaction effect for vigorous physical activity was observed at 6 months, but not 12 months. No significant effects for the secondary outcomes were found.Conclusions:A clinician referral and community-based supervised and unsupervised exercise training program, along with discounted gym membership, had a positive short-term effect on vigorous physical activity levels, but did not improve quality of life, in men with prostate cancer.

scholarly journals Implementation of a School Physical Activity Policy Improves Student Physical Activity Levels: Outcomes of a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 1009-1018
Author(s):  
Nicole K. Nathan ◽  
Rachel L. Sutherland ◽  
Kirsty Hope ◽  
Nicole J. McCarthy ◽  
Matthew Pettett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
School Day ◽  
Cluster Randomized ◽  
The Impact

Aim: To assess the impact of a multistrategy intervention designed to improve teachers’ implementation of a school physical activity (PA) policy on student PA levels. Methods: A cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted in 12 elementary schools. Policy implementation required schools to deliver 150 minutes of organized PA for students each week via physical education, sport, or class-based activities such as energizers. Schools received implementation support designed using the theoretical domains framework to help them implement the current policy. Results: A total of 1,502 children in kindergarten to grade 6 participated. At follow-up compared with control, students attending intervention schools had, measured via accelerometer, significantly greater increases in school day counts per minute (97.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 64.5 to 130.4; P < .001) and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (3.0; 95% CI, 2.2–3.8, P < .001) and a greater decrease in sedentary time (−2.1; 95% CI, −3.9 to −0.4, P = .02) per school day. Teachers in intervention schools delivered significantly more minutes (36.6 min) of PA to their students at follow-up (95% CI, 2.7–70.5, P = .04). Conclusions: Supporting teachers to implement a PA policy improves student PA. Additional strategies may be needed to support teachers to implement activities that result in larger gains in student MVPA.

scholarly journals Perceived Neighborhood Environmental Factors That Maximize the Effectiveness of a Multilevel Intervention Promoting Physical Activity Among Latinas

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 334-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilian G. Perez ◽  
J. Kerr ◽  
J. F. Sallis ◽  
D. Slymen ◽  
T. L. McKenzie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Attention Control ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Environment Variables ◽  
Active Lifestyles ◽  
Cluster Randomized

Purpose: This study tested whether a multilevel physical activity (PA) intervention had differential effects on PA according to participants’ perceptions of their neighborhood environment. Design: Two-group cluster randomized controlled trial. Setting: San Diego, California. Subjects: Analytical sample included 319 Latinas (18-65 years) from churches randomized to the following conditions: PA (n = 8 churches, n = 157 participants) or attention control (n = 8 churches, n = 162 participants). Intervention: Over 12 months, PA participants were offered free PA classes (6/wk), while attention control participants were offered cancer prevention workshops. Measures: Baseline and 12-month follow-up measures included self-report and accelerometer-based moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sociodemographics, and perceived neighborhood environment variables. Analysis: Mixed-effects models examined each PA outcome at 12-month follow-up, adjusted for church clustering, baseline PA, and sociodemographics. We tested interactions between 7 baseline perceived environment variables and study condition. Results: Neighborhood esthetics was the only significant moderator of intervention effects on accelerometer-based MVPA and self-report leisure-time MVPA. Participants in the PA intervention had significantly higher PA at follow-up than attention control participants, only when participants evaluated their neighborhood esthetics favorably. Conclusion: Perceived neighborhood esthetics appeared to maximize the effectiveness of a multilevel PA intervention among Latinas. For sustainable PA behavior change, the environments in which Latinas are encouraged to be active may need to be evaluated prior to implementing an intervention to ensure they support active lifestyles.

scholarly journals Promoting Physical Activity and Executive Functions Among Children: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of an After-School Program in Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 940-946
Author(s):  
Sanne L.C. Veldman ◽  
Rachel A. Jones ◽  
Rebecca M. Stanley ◽  
Dylan P. Cliff ◽  
Stewart A. Vella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
School Intervention ◽  
After School ◽  
Center Staff ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Cluster Randomized

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of an embedded after-school intervention, on promoting physical activity and academic achievement in primary-school-aged children. Methods: This 6-month, 2-arm cluster randomized controlled trial involved 4 after-school centers. Two centers were randomly assigned to the intervention, which involved training the center staff on and implementing structured physical activity (team sports and physical activity sessions for 75 min) and academic enrichment activities (45 min). The activities were implemented 3 afternoons per week for 2.5 hours. The control centers continued their usual after-school care practice. After-school physical activity (accelerometry) and executive functions (working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility) were assessed pre- and postintervention. Results: A total of 60 children were assessed (7.7 [1.8] y; 50% girls) preintervention and postintervention (77% retention rate). Children in the intervention centers spent significantly more time in moderate to vigorous physical activity (adjusted difference = 2.4%; 95% confidence interval, 0.6 to 4.2; P = .026) and scored higher on cognitive flexibility (adjusted difference = 1.9 units; 95% confidence interval, 0.9 to 3.0; P = .009). About 92% of the intervention sessions were implemented. The participation rates varied between 51% and 94%. Conclusion: This after-school intervention was successful at increasing moderate to vigorous physical activity and enhancing cognitive flexibility in children. As the intervention was implemented by the center staff and local university students, further testing for effectiveness and scalability in a larger trial is required.

scholarly journals School-based physical activity intervention in 11-13-year-olds: study protocol for cluster randomized controlled trial

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
Prasangi M. Dabare ◽  
Indu Waidyatilaka ◽  
Ranil Jayawardena ◽  
Rajitha Wickremasinghe ◽  
Andrew P. Hills ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sitting Time ◽  
School Based ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Fitness Parameters ◽  
Cluster Randomized

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Targeted strategies to enhance regular physical activity appear to be promising to promote health and well-being of adolescents. This article reports the design of a cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based physical activity programme on the rate and duration of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, sitting time including screen time, and health-related physical fitness parameters among 11-13 year-old adolescents.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> This is a cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in 360 adolescents from government schools in the Colombo Municipal Council area, Sri Lanka. An individual school was considered as a unit of randomization and the 12 selected schools were randomly assigned to one of two groups: control (six schools) and intervention groups (six schools). The intervention group follows a physical activity programme for 30 minutes on three school days per week, for three consecutive months in addition to the standard practice. The primary outcomes are moderate-to-vigorous physical activity rate and duration and sitting time including screen time. Secondary outcomes are the health-related physical fitness parameters: cardiovascular fitness, muscle fitness and flexibility, and body composition. All the outcomes are measured at baseline and three-months following the intervention.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Discussion:</strong> The outcomes of this study will be an evidence-based intervention programme with the potential to be incorporated into the national education system thus promoting health and well-being of adolescents in Sri Lanka.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Trial Registration</strong><strong>: </strong>Registered at the Sri Lanka Clinical Trials Registry (SLCTR/2018/028).</p>

scholarly journals Implementation Adherence and Perspectives of the Childcare PhysicaL ActivitY (PLAY) Policy: A Process Evaluation

2021 ◽  
pp. 109019812199628
Author(s):  
Monika Szpunar ◽  
Andrew M. Johnson ◽  
Molly Driediger ◽  
Shauna M. Burke ◽  
Jennifer D. Irwin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Sedentary Time ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Early Childhood Educators ◽  
Policy Document ◽  
Childcare Centers ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Cluster Randomized ◽  
Verbal Prompts

The Childcare PhysicaL ActivitY (PLAY) policy was an evidence-informed, eight-item institutional-level policy document targeting children’s physical activity, outdoor play, and sedentary time. Nine childcare centers in London, Ontario, participated in this cluster, randomized controlled trial. Early Childhood Educators allocated to the experimental group, from five childcare centers in London, Ontario, implemented the policy for young children (18 months to 4 years) for 8 weeks and documented adherence to each policy item (i.e., dose) in daily logs. Program evaluation surveys ( n = 21) and interviews ( n = 10) were completed postintervention to assess Early Childhood Educators’ perspectives of feasibility, context, enjoyment, communication between researchers and childcare staff, and likelihood of future implementation. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and thematic analysis was conducted. Adherence to policy items ranged from 16.5% (for delivery of shorter, more frequent outdoor periods) to 85.9% (for delivery of unstructured/child-directed play). Participants reported effective communication between the research team and childcare centers (0 = not at all effective to 5 = very effective; M = 4.20; SD = 0.83) but noted that they were unlikely to continue the implementation of more frequent outdoor periods (0 = not at all likely to 5 = extremely likely; M = 2.19; SD = 1.21). Interview themes included weather as a prominent barrier and the use of verbal prompts as a solution for implementing the policy. As this was a small and short-term intervention, this pilot study offers important insight on larger scale policy interventions aimed at increasing physical activity and minimizing sedentary time among children enrolled in childcare.

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