School-based Intervention to Promote Physical Activity in Adolescents in Spain: the Promoting Physical Activity in Secondary School For Health Project
Condition: Activity, Motor
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The goal of this study is to design, adapt and implement a strategies and a teaching
      intervention programme to improve the adolescents physical activity in a little city of
      Spain, in an educational context.

      Students will be divided in two groups (control and intervention) and we will apply in the
      intervention in one group and we will develop different strategies aimed at improve the
      active lifestyles in the adolescents. Researchers will compare both groups taking in to
      account: levels of physical activity, sedentary time, healthy diet, self-concept or different
      psychosocial outcomes
    

Detailed description: 
      The purpose of the project is the development of a healthy environment from educational
      centers. Healthy behaviors and perceptions of healthy environments of members of the
      educational community will be analyzed. The data processing process will be anonymous in all
      students. The center will receive the information corresponding to the project through the
      person in charge of the investigation. The center will send a letter voluntarily accepting
      your participation (attached) to the principal investigator (PI) of the project. The main
      objective of the research project presented is to improve physical activity levels in
      adolescents who present rates of diagnosed active impairment through the design, development
      and evaluation of a multilevel and multicomponent intervention program to promote healthier
      lifestyles. This program will follow the principles of the Socio-ecological model, teachers
      and parents perceptions and beliefs, with the aim of achieving greater adherence to the
      sports practice of adolescents.

      Students of 2nd year of E.S.O would be part of this intervention program of two educational
      centers of a Spanish region. Through the initial measurement made to 2nd year students of
      E.S.O. Overall, the investigatos would expect to have a total of about 80 male and female
      students, with ages between 12 and 15 years. Indirectly, parents of students and teachers
      would also participate. In this way, identified young people who do not perform physical
      activity or do not reach minimum recommendable values (recommendations of World Health
      Organization), will be grouped in control and experimental schools.

      The study variables will be:

        -  Qualitative data: Collected through focus groups: personal opinions about their
           educational center and the development of healthy environments. Estimated completion
           time: 45 minutes.

        -  Quantitative data: The data that will be required for the students in the questionnaires
           (students): age, gender, place of residence and data on healthy behaviors (levels of
           physical activity, hours of sleep, food, hours spent on screen, substance use). and
           influences for a healthy environment and self-concept). Estimated completion time: 45
           minutes.

      The focus groups and the questionnaires will be applied once the approval of the Ethical
      Commitee of the region has been obtained for the application of the project. Once obtained,
      the following day the informed consent will be provided to the families, it will be collected
      in 7 days and the following week the initial questionnaires will be carried out. At the end
      of the research in May 2022, the same questionnaires will be passed again to assess the
      evolution of the group in the different study variables.

      Students who do not participate in the study will be invited to non-curricular activities
      since participation will be voluntary. When the questionnaires are completed, the center will
      enable a teacher "on duty" to attend to the students during the hour that the questionnaires
      last.

      Statistical analysis: Comparisons will be made to verify that there are no differences in the
      baseline, using the "t" test and the χ2 test. After verifying the assumptions of normality
      and homoscedasticity, an analysis of covariance with three repeated measures (ANCOVA) will be
      performed on the outcome variables, by intention to treat (ITT), using the last observation
      carried forward (LOCF) method. Age, sex, and baseline scores will be included as covariates
      to examine differences between groups, eliminating their possible influence. The effect size
      will be calculated using the partial eta square value (η2). Values ≤ 0.01 correspond to a
      small effect size, = 0.06 with a medium size, and ≥ 0.14 with a large size. Contrasts will be
      made between the pretest and posttest measurements, using the corresponding "t" test. The
      significance level adopted will be α< 0.05.

      Limitations of the study: It is a study with a reduced sample that does not want to be
      representative, only to see the evaluation of the variables in that context during a specific
      time to help the centers make decisions about their health promoting school project.The
      benefits of this project would be framed in different levels. In the first place, the main
      benefit would be obtained by the direct recipients of the project, that is, the adolescents
      who would see their physical activity levels increased with the positive consequences that
      this entails and with the development of healthier living habits. Secondly, Physical
      Education teachers could have new methodological and motivational tools to encourage more
      physical activity among their students; and the parents of these, could value the importance
      of physical activity and lead an active lifestyle, collaborating from the family environment
      to promote the objectives of this project.
    

Intervention name(s): Physical activity changes
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Previously an initial measure (qualitative and qualitative) will be made to know the little active adolescents. At the end of the physical activity program a retention measure will be carried out to know the scope and persistence of the variables analyzed. The intervention will be developed with a frequency of three weekly sessions, of 60 minutes, in the period of the intervention, with the exception of weeks in which there is a public holiday, where there will take measures to recover the class. A schedule for the sessions will be set according to the interests of the participants and will be the same for all.
Other intervention name(s): Promote active lifestyles; Physical activity in adolescents
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Health Services Research
Keywords: Physical activity