FitQuest: Does an active mobile phone game encourage children to take more exercise at school?

ISRCTN	ISRCTN11693550
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN11693550
Protocol serial number	F12R10074
Sponsor	Heriot-Watt University
Funder	Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Submission date: 23/02/2015
Registration date: 04/03/2015
Last edited: 04/04/2023

Recruitment status: No longer recruiting
Overall study status: Completed
Condition category: Other

Prospectively registered

Protocol

Statistical analysis plan

Results

Individual participant data

Plain English summary of protocol

Background and study aims
Physical activity has important health benefits for children, but many children do not meet recommended guidelines for the amount of physical activity they take each day. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether an active smart phone game (called FitQuest) which involves running in a playground can motivate children to become more enthusiastic about exercising, and whether that enthusiasm might change their behaviour.

Who can participate?
Year 7 pupils attending a state-funded primary school in Edinburgh, Scotland.

What does the study involve?
Schools are randomly allocated to one of two groups: Exergame group or no exergame group. Pupils from the schools in the exergame group play the FitQuest game during Physical Education lessons in their school for five weeks. Pupils from the schoos in the no exergame group take part in the normal Physical Education classes as provided by the school.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The potential benefits are improvements in confidence towards exercise and possibly increased levels of physical activity. The potential risks are very low - minor risk of tripping and falling similar to any out of door Physical Education class.

Where is the study run from?
Selected Edinburgh primary schools were invited to take part by development officers within Edinburgh City Council.

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
From May 2013 to May 2014.

Who is funding the study?
Funded by an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
(EPSRC) Impact Acceleration Account at Heriot-Watt University. Note that the Principal Investigator has now moved to University of Edinburgh.

Who is the main contact?
Dr Judy Robertson
judy.robertson@ed.ac.uk

Contact information

Prof Judy Robertson
Public

School of Education
Simon Laurie House
University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
EH8 8AQ
United Kingdom

Prof Judy Robertson
Scientific

School of Education
Simon Laurie House
University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
EH8 8AQ
United Kingdom

Study information

Primary study design	Interventional
Study design	Single centre interventional trial with a cluster randomised control design
Secondary study design	Cluster randomised trial
Study type	Participant information sheet
Scientific title	A cluster randomised trial and qualitative study of the effectiveness of a location-based exergame on school children’s physical activity
Study objectives	Participants who use FitQuest (an exergame) for a 5 week intervention (for one hour per week during Physical Education lessons) will have increased step count, time spent in MVPA and self-efficacy scores post-test than participants who take part in normal Physical Education lessons as provided by the school.
Ethics approval(s)	This study was approved by the School of Life Sciences Ethics Committee at Heriot-Watt University, Scotland on 04/09/13. Written permission to conduct a study in the schools was given by Edinburgh City Council, Scotland (25/06/2013).
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied	This study is about the promotion of sustained physical activity in children.
Intervention	Participants in the intervention arm played an exergame for one hour per week during Physical Education Lessons. Control arm participants took part in the normal Physical Education classes as provided by the school.
Intervention type	Behavioural
Primary outcome measure(s)	1. Step count (as measured by NL1000 accelerometer) 2. Minutes spent in MVPA (as measured by NL1000 accelerometer) 3. Self-Efficacy for physical activity, as measured by Pender questionnaire All measures will be taken in the weeks immediately before and after the intervention (or equivalent time elapsed for control)
Key secondary outcome measure(s)	Qualitative data will be gathered from interviews with children, teachers. Observation notes will be recorded at each session.
Completion date	01/05/2014

Eligibility

Participant type(s)	Other
Age group	Child
Lower age limit	10 Years
Upper age limit	11 Years
Sex	All
Target sample size at registration	300
Key inclusion criteria	1. Primary seven pupils (usually aged 10-11) 2. Attending a state-funded primary school in Edinburgh, Scotland. 3. The school head teacher and PE must have agreed to take part. 4. Both male or female participants are eligible
Key exclusion criteria	Lack of parental consent
Date of first enrolment	01/06/2013
Date of final enrolment	01/09/2014

Locations

Countries of recruitment

United Kingdom
Scotland

Study participating centre

Heriot-Watt University

Earl Mounbatten Building
Heriot Watt University
Edinburgh
EH14 4AS
United Kingdom

Results and Publications

Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share	Yes
IPD sharing plan summary	Other
IPD sharing plan	Not provided at time of registration

Study outputs

Output type	Details	Date created	Date added	Peer reviewed?	Patient-facing?
Results article	results	22/08/2016		Yes	No
Dataset	FitQuest Qualitative DataSet	09/05/2016	04/04/2023	No	No
Participant information sheet	Participant information sheet	11/11/2025	11/11/2025	No	Yes
Study website	Study website	11/11/2025	11/11/2025	No	Yes

Editorial Notes

04/04/2023: Link to dataset added.
08/06/2017: Publication reference added.