"We Are an Active Family": Promoting Child Physical Activity Through Social Identity Formation in the Family System

NCT05794789 | Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: 23-0022
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 148
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

The purpose of our study is to explore the effectiveness of physical activity (PA) identity formation in the family system as a promotor of long-term PA. The primary research question is: Does a family identity formation condition (with education+planning) result in increased child moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) compared to a standard comparison education and planning condition at six months? Hypothesis: Child MVPA will be higher for the identity formation condition in comparison to the more standard PA education+planning condition at six months.

Conditions

Physical Activity; Social Identity

Keywords

Moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA); Childhood obesity; Type 2 Diabetes; Identity formation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change from baseline in children's moderate to vigorous physical activity to 6 months

  Children's physical activity will be quantified by accelerometry. Children will wear an accelerometer for a minimum of 6 hours per day for 7 days at baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months.

  Baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months

Secondary Outcomes (16)

• Parent-child intergenerational activity via seven-day accelerometry

  Baseline - 6 months

• Parent-child intergenerational activity measured via parent self-report

  Baseline - 6 months

• Body Composition - Weight

  Baseline - 6 months

• Body Composition - Height

  Baseline - 6 months

• Body Composition - Waist Circumference

  Baseline - 6 months

Study Arms (2)

PA education and planning condition

NO INTERVENTION

This group will receive sessions and information-based booklet and series of worksheets that provide a tangible knowledge translation product for the family. The material will consist of Canada's PA guidelines recommending 60 minutes of MVPA a day and a breakdown of ways for the parent to help their child achieve this PA, outlining three main domains of parental support (encouragement, logistical support, and PA together). The material also contains information about the benefits of PA for the child and how to plan for family PA. The material specifically includes a brainstorming exercise for parents where they list physical activities they think their children have found fun in the past. The investigators will provide this material as prompts/suggestions. This list helps create the template for PA planning by contextualizing what the parents would like to do with their kids. An additional two sessions will include education and planning material related to family healthy eating.

Identity formation condition

EXPERIMENTAL

This group will receive the same content as the education+planning comparison condition but with two additional coaching sessions. The session will include short overviews of the benefits of PA as a family, brainstorming how a family can each assist each other in PA, and an activity for developing a family PA action plan. Behavior change techniques that align with these approaches and are included in the coaching session include identity salience, identity similarity, as well as identity fit and contrast. This will be supplemented by an organization of fun family PA roles for all members (e.g., activity planner, goal setter, supporter, etc.) to instill involvement as well as items (creation of a family PA t-shirt, family PA photos and display, etc.) to instill distinctiveness, which is a central feature of a social identity.

Behavioral: Social Identity

Interventions

Social Identity BEHAVIORAL

This group will receive the same content as the education+planning as well as two additional sessions. This includes short overviews of the benefits of PA as a family, brainstorming how a family can each assist each other in PA, and an activity for developing a family PA action plan. Behavior change techniques such as identity salience, identity similarity, and identity fit and contrast are included in the coaching session include. This will be supplemented by an organization of fun family PA roles for all members (e.g., activity planner, goal setter, supporter, etc.) to instill involvement as well as items (creation of a family PA t-shirt, family PA photos and display, etc.) to instill distinctiveness, which is a central feature of a social identity. Worksheets and discussion will be included. The second session will involve only the parent(s) to focus on parental support identity and the content is based on the behavior change principles of self-identity theory.

Identity formation condition

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 6 Years - 12 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Participants will be at least one parent with at least one child between the ages of 6 and 12 years.
• Families (parents and/or guardians and children) residing in Greater Victoria, Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Duncan, Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, Burnaby, British Columbia.
• Children that participate in \<60 minutes/day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA)

You may not qualify if:

• If child is meeting the current physical activity guidelines \>=60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day.
• If participant does not pass Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PARQ)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Victoria: lead
• Diabetes Canada: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

Psychology of Exercise, Health, and Physical Activity (PEHPA) Laboratory, University of British Columbia

Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z1, Canada

NOT YET RECRUITING

Behavioural Medicine Lab, University of Victoria

Victoria, British Columbia, V8P-5C2, Canada

RECRUITING

Related Publications (1)

• Streight E, Beauchamp MR, Smith KJ, Blanchard CM, Carson V, Strachan SM, Vanderloo LM, Courtnall S, Rhodes RE. "We are an active family": a randomized trial protocol to evaluate a family-system social identity intervention to promote child physical activity. BMC Public Health. 2024 Sep 27;24(1):2605. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20024-8.

  PMID: 39333930 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity; Social Identification; Pediatric Obesity; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior; Social Behavior; Obesity; Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Diabetes Mellitus; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Endocrine System Diseases

Study Officials

• Ryan Rhodes, PhD

  University of Victoria

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Chris Blanshard, PhD

  Dalhousie University

  STUDY CHAIR

• Valerie Carson, PhD

  University of Alberta

  STUDY CHAIR

• Kurt Smith, PhD

  University of Victoria

  STUDY CHAIR

• Mark Beauchamp, PhD

  University of British Columbia

  STUDY CHAIR

• Shaelyn Strachan, PhD

  University of Manitoba

  STUDY CHAIR

• Leigh Vanderloo, PhD

  ParticipACTION

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Evie Streight, MSc.

CONTACT

250 472 5288; bml@uvic.ca

Sandy Courtnall

CONTACT

bml@uvic.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 2, 2023
• First Posted: April 3, 2023
• Study Start: August 10, 2023
• Primary Completion: March 31, 2026
• Study Completion: March 31, 2026
• Last Updated: April 3, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03

Locations

CA (2)