Drøn på Skolegården (The Activating Schoolyard Study)

ISRCTN ISRCTN17944407
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN17944407
Secondary identifying numbers 2013-41-1900
Submission date
17/05/2018
Registration date
18/05/2018
Last edited
19/06/2023
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
The aim of the Activating Schoolyards Study is to develop, implement, document and assess a comprehensive schoolyard intervention to promote physical activity during school recess for primary school children (grade 4-8). The intervention involves making organizational and structural changes in the schoolyard environment.

Who can participate?
Students grade 4-8 from 7 schools in Denmark

What does the study involve?
The schoolyard interventions are developed involving students in the process. It was up to the schools to decide how the students participate in the process. Therefore, the intervention components vary widely reflecting the local challenges and needs. At some of the schools the interventions take place in the existing schoolyard whereas other schools expand their outdoor area by including adjacent spaces (e.g., woodland area and parking ground). However, some features are present at several schools such as climbing walls, balance bars, theatre/dancing stages, skating areas, trampolines, hills, ball game facilities and outdoor eating areas. There are also similarities in the organisational changes, for example a policy obliging the children to stay outdoors for parts of their recess is implemented at several schools. The interventions take place during 2015 and the total budget for each of the schools ranged from 120,000 to 900,000 USD. Children representing the target group (grade 4-8) for the schoolyard intervention at each of the seven schools participate at two timepoints, April to June 2014 and in the same months in 2016 (after the intervention). The intervention is during the whole year of 2015. In April to June 2018 a late follow-up is conducted in grade 4 and 6. The effect of the interventions is assessed by students wearing an accelerometer and GPS to determine where they are in the schoolyard and how active they are.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The class with the most participants receives a prize (sports equipment). There are no risks of participating.

Where is the study run from?
University of Southern Denmark

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
January 2013 to April 2019

Who is funding the study?
1. Danish Cancer Society
2. Realdania
3. Lokale og anlægsfonden

Who is the main contact?
Charlotte Skau Pawlowski
cspawlowski@health.sdu.dk

Study website

Contact information

Mrs Charlotte Skau Pawlowski
Scientific

Campusvej 55
Odense M
5230
Denmark

ORCiD logoORCID ID 0000-0003-1407-613X
Phone +45 (0)61665006
Email cspawlowski@health.sdu.dk

Study information

Study designA quasi-experimental schoolyard intervention study using a mixed method approach including: 1) an exploratory study aimed at providing input for the developing process; 2) an evaluation of the effect of the interventions using a combination of accelerometer and GPS at baseline and follow-up to determine where and how active the students are in the schoolyard, before and after the intervention; 3) a post-intervention end-user evaluation aimed at exploring who uses the schoolyards and how the schoolyards are used.
Primary study designInterventional
Secondary study designNon randomised study
Study setting(s)School
Study typePrevention
Participant information sheet Not available in web format, please use the contact details to request a patient information sheet
Scientific titleDrøn på Skolegården (The Activating Schoolyard Study)
Study objectivesThe trialists hypothesize that a high degree of user involvement, tailored inventive schoolyard interventions and organisational recess changes would lead to increased recess PA among students.
Ethics approval(s)Data management and security with regards to this study was approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency (2013-41-1900). According to the Danish National Committee on Health Research Ethics, formal ethical approval was not required as the project was not a biomedical research project.
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studiedPhysical activity
InterventionThe schoolyard interventions were developed using a participatory bottom-up approach involving students in the development process. It was up to the schools to decide how the students participated in the process. Therefore, the design and dimension of the intervention components varied widely reflecting the local challenges and needs. At some of the schools the interventions took place in the existing schoolyard whereas other schools expanded their outdoor area by including adjacent spaces (e.g., woodland area and parking ground). However, some features were presented at several schools such as climbing walls, balance bars, theatre/dancing stages, skating areas, trampolines, hills, ball game facilities and outdoor eating areas. There were also similarities in the organisational changes, e.g., a policy obliging the children to stay outdoors parts of their recess was implemented at several schools. The interventions took place during 2015 and the total budget for each of the schools ranged from 120,000 to 900,000 USD.

Children representing the target group (grade 4-8) for the schoolyard intervention at each of the seven schools participated at two timepoints, April to June 2014 (baseline) and in the same months in 2016 (post-intervention). The intervention was during the whole year of 2015. In April to June 2018 a late follow-up was conducted in grade 4 and 6. Children were not followed over time avoiding the age-dependent decline in physical activity.
Intervention typeBehavioural
Primary outcome measurePhysical activity level, measured by wearing accelerometer and GPS for one week at two timepoints, between April to June 2014 (baseline) and in the same months in 2016 (post-intervention)
Secondary outcome measuresWhere the students are e.g., indoors/outdoors, measured by wearing accelerometer and GPS for one week at two timepoints, between April to June 2014 (baseline) and in the same months in 2016 (post-intervention)
Overall study start date01/01/2013
Completion date01/04/2019

Eligibility

Participant type(s)Other
Age groupChild
SexBoth
Target number of participants1200
Key inclusion criteriaStudents grade 4-8 from 7 schools in Denmark
Key exclusion criteria1. Unhealthy students
2. Students from grade 0-3
Date of first enrolment01/04/2013
Date of final enrolment01/07/2018

Locations

Countries of recruitment

  • Denmark

Study participating centre

University of Southern Denmark
Campusvej 55
Odense M
5230
Denmark

Sponsor information

Danish Cancer Society
Charity

Strandboulevarden 49
Copenhagen Ø
2100
Denmark

Phone +45 (0)35 25 75 00
Email info@cancer.dk
Website http://www.cancer.dk
ROR logo "ROR" https://ror.org/03ytt7k16
Realdania
Charity

Jarmers Plads 2
Copenhagen V
1551
Denmark

Phone +45 (0)70 11 66 66
Email realdania@realdania.dk
Website http://www.realdania.org
The Danish foundation for Culture and Sport Facilities
Charity

Kanonbådsvej 4 A
Copenhagen K
1437
Denmark

Phone +45 (0)3283 0330
Email fonden@loa-fonden.dk
Website https://www.loa-fonden.dk

Funders

Funder type

Charity

Kræftens Bekæmpelse
Government organisation / Associations and societies (private and public)
Alternative name(s)
Danish Cancer Society, The Danish Cancer Society, DCS
Location
Denmark
Realdania
Private sector organisation / Associations and societies (private and public)
Location
Denmark
Lokale og anlægsfonden

No information available

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date01/01/2020
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to shareYes
IPD sharing plan summaryAvailable on request
Publication and dissemination planThe protocol is already published and is available online: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26026650. Planned publication of approximately seven papers in high-impact peer reviewed journals before 01/01/2020.
IPD sharing planThe datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are/will be available upon request from Henriette Bondo Andersen (hbandersen@health.sdu.dk).

Study outputs

Output type Details Date created Date added Peer reviewed? Patient-facing?
Results article focus group results 23/06/2014 Yes No
Results article results 10/12/2014 Yes No
Protocol article protocol 31/05/2015 Yes No
Results article 01/12/2015 Yes No
Results article results 06/01/2016 Yes No
Results article results 09/02/2016 Yes No
Results article results 01/09/2016 Yes No
Results article Nested sub study 20/09/2019 19/06/2023 Yes No

Editorial Notes

19/06/2023: Publication reference added.