Development and Feasibility of an Intervention to Increase Physical Activity Among Young Children
Condition: Childhood Obesity; Physical Activity
MeSH terms: Pediatric Obesity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The aim of this study is to develop, implement, and evaluate a novel intervention to increase
      physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour among pre-school children, with the ultimate
      goal of reducing obesity among this age group. This study will provide evidence-based
      recommendations for reducing the prevalence of obesity among preschool-aged children, and the
      suggestions will help improve the physical activity intervention programme in preschoolers.
    

Detailed description: 
      The pre-school-based I'm an Active Hero (IAAH) intervention with family involvement was
      developed in accordance with the Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for developing and
      evaluating complex interventions. The development phase consists of locating and synthesising
      existing evidence (such as what is already known about existing interventions) and finding
      and developing theories (e.g., developing a theoretical understanding of the expected process
      of behaviour change). The IAAH-intervention components are theory- and evidence-based; they
      were developed based on a comprehensive identification and evaluation of current and past
      community, preschool, and family-based physical activity and lifestyle change interventions,
      as well as recommendations from a recent systematic review and review of reviews.

      Additionally, the IAAH-intervention component was informed by conducting a systematic review
      to identify promising intervention components, including behaviour change techniques, that
      are associated with interventions that were able to increase PA in the preschool age group.
      In addition to conducting a qualitative study with teachers and patients/guardians,
      investigators will also consult them on the intervention's content and duration.
      Investigators would consider the suggestions and ideas from the preschool practitioners' and
      parent/guardian focus group meetings, which will establish the meaning of PA for the two
      distinct stakeholder groups, their influences on this, and considerations for a future
      intervention. The Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) framework
      was also used to set up the intervention component.

      The design of the intervention will employ systematic review and qualitative phases to inform
      the quantitative, feasibility phase, followed by a further qualitative phase (stakeholders
      will be involved in the further refinement of the intervention to add richness and depth).
      Findings from the systematic review and qualitative work will inform the development of the
      IAAH intervention.

      Intervention: This will be a feasibility study of a two-arm cluster-randomised controlled
      trial (RCT) and will consist of an intervention group and a control group with two data
      collection time points (i.e., baseline and post-intervention) to test the feasibility and
      efficacy of a 10-week "I'm an Active Hero (IAAH)" programme intervention with the aim of
      improving physical activity and decreasing sedentary behaviour of preschool children aged
      between 3 and 5 years in Taif City, Saudi Arabia.

      Process evaluation: This will be a qualitative study including interviews and/or
      questionnaires with stakeholders (pre-school principals, teachers, classroom assistants, and
      parents/guardians) to determine the acceptability of the intervention from the participants'
      perspectives.
    

Intervention name(s): I'm an Active Hero (IAAH) Intervention Program
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The "I'm an Active Hero (IAAH)" programme is a 10-week intervention aimed at increasing physical activity and decreasing sedentary behaviour in preschool-aged (aged 3-5 years) children. It is anticipated to begin in February 2023 to May 2023. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and immediately following the intervention. The IAAH-intervention will be implemented by the preschool teachers, who will have two teacher training sessions with the main researcher (myself). The IAAH-intervention involves environmental modifications (a classroom) to create areas with sufficient space for active play; classroom sessions these will be implemented for 10 weeks (a minimum of one hour per week); and parent involvement, such as the provision of parental-child interaction homework activities and written information (tip cards, posters, and newsletters). for parents on how to encourage their children to be active.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Feasibility; Physical activity; Young Children; Intervention,