ISRCTN ISRCTN25497687
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN25497687
Secondary identifying numbers N/A
Submission date
19/10/2015
Registration date
21/10/2015
Last edited
03/06/2019
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
Active Living is a programme (or intervention) that looks at the effects of the social and physical environment on the physical activity of children aged 8-12 living in low socioeconomic (i.e. poor or deprived) areas in the Southern-Limburg region of the Netherlands. The aim of this study is to investigate whether children attending schools running the Active Living programme become more active and less sedentary that children attending schools not running the programme.

Who can participate?
All children attending the 6th and 7th grade of participating primary schools.

What does the study involve?
Schools participating in the study are randomly allocated to either the intervention group or the control group. Working groups are formed at intervention schools. These working groups include local stakeholders, parents and an advisor of the Public Health Services (GGD). They try to develop initiatives that encourage children in the neighbourhood to take part in physical activity. The initiatives focus on stimulating physical activity during recess, using active transport to school, and physical activity after school. Schools in the control groups carry on as usual. The effects of the environment and the initiatives on the physical activity of children are investigated four times – in the autumn of 2012, spring 2013, spring 2014, and spring 2015. Children are asked to wear an accelerometer and some of them also asked to wear a GPS device. Furthermore, during each measurement period children and their parents are asked to fill out a questionnaire.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Potential benefit includes increasing physical activity and decreasing sedentary behavior among primary school children by contributing to the establishment of physical activity-friendly school environments. No risks were identified by taking part in the Active Living project.

Where is the study run from?
A total of 20 schools attended by children from low socioeconomic areas in South Limburg, the Netherlands.

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
October 2011 to September 2015

Who is funding the study?
Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development

Who is the main contact?
Mr Dave Van Kann
d.vankann@fontys.nl

Contact information

Mr Dave Van Kann
Scientific

P.O. Box 616
Maastricht
6200 MD
Netherlands

ORCiD logoORCID ID 0000-0002-1473-0843
Phone +31 433884274
Email d.vankann@fontys.nl

Study information

Study designThe intervention study uses a quasi-experimental design with 10 intervention schools and 10 matched control schools. Children (8-12 years-old) attending these schools are measured multiple times, i.e. at baseline, after 6 months, after 18 months, and after 30 months.
Primary study designInterventional
Secondary study design
Study setting(s)School
Study typePrevention
Participant information sheet Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet
Scientific titleActive Living: physical activity as a daily habit for primary school children through adaptations in social and physical environment
Study objectivesChildren attending Active Living schools are hypothesized to increase physical activity and decrease sedentary behavior more than children attending control schools after changing the physical and social environment.
Ethics approval(s)Medical Ethics Committee of the University Hospital Maastricht, 26/11/2012, ref: METC 12-4-077
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studiedIncreasing physical activity and decreasing sedentary behavior.
InterventionThe Active Living study used a quasi-experimental design. In total, 10 schools were included in the Active Living project as intervention schools. A local working group at each school defined the needs of the school and children. They developed and implemented physical and social environmental interventions targeting at either:
1. Stimulating active school transportation
2. Promoting physical activity at school or
3. Promoting physical activity in leisure time
All intervention schools were matched to a control school. These control schools only participated in the measurement, but did not receive any interventions such as the intervention schools did.
Intervention typeBehavioural
Primary outcome measureChildren's physical activity levels, measured by wearing an accelerometer. Some children were also asked to wear a GPS device. Data was collected at the end of 2012, spring 2013, spring 2014 and spring 2015.
Secondary outcome measuresNeighborhood perceptions, collected using questionnaires given to the children and their parents. Data was collected at the end of 2012, spring 2013, spring 2014 and spring 2015.
Overall study start date01/10/2011
Completion date01/09/2015

Eligibility

Participant type(s)All
Age groupChild
SexBoth
Target number of participants800
Key inclusion criteria1. All children attending 6th and 7th grade of participating primary schools. At baseline, the age range is 8-12 years old
2. Both boys and girls are included
Key exclusion criteriaNo exclusion criteria were formulated. All children attending participating primary schools were invited to participate in this study.
Date of first enrolment01/08/2012
Date of final enrolment30/11/2012

Locations

Countries of recruitment

  • Netherlands

Study participating centres

Maastricht University
P.O. Box 616
Maastricht
6200 MD
Netherlands
Public Health Services
P.O. Box 2022
Geleen
6160 HA
Netherlands

Sponsor information

Maastricht University
University/education

P.O. Box 616
Maastricht
6200 MD
Netherlands

Website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl
Public Health Services
Other

P.O. Box 2022
Geleen
6160 HA
Netherlands

Website www.ggdzl.nl
Maastricht University
Not defined

Funders

Funder type

Government

Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development
Private sector organisation / Other non-profit organizations
Alternative name(s)
Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development
Location
Netherlands

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to shareYes
IPD sharing plan summaryAvailable on request
Publication and dissemination planIn a short notice, we intend to publish a development article in which the process of development and the quasi-experimental evaluation will be presented. Furthermore, we intend to publish studies on the effectiveness of interventions on children’s physical activity and sedentary behavior during recess. Moreover, we intend to publish an effect evaluation of the Active Living project on daily physical activity levels and sedentary behavior. Besides, we intend to publish several cross-sectional studies using these data. The detailed research questions for these studies have to be formulated in the near future. We hope to submit both effectiveness studies by the end of 2015 or begin 2016.
IPD sharing plan

Study outputs

Output type Details Date created Date added Peer reviewed? Patient-facing?
Protocol article protocol 29/12/2015 Yes No
Results article results 01/08/2016 03/06/2019 Yes No

Editorial Notes

03/06/2019: Contact details updated, publication reference added.
14/01/2016: Added publication reference.