Co-Creating Active Middle School Communities to Increase Student Physical Activity

NCT06970067 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: HSC-SPH-23-11391R01MD019423
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 450
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to identify community-level barriers and facilitators for active transport and leisure physical activity and to co-create and test the effectiveness and longer-term sustainability of community-based physical activity intervention strategies in middle schools. Participation in this study may help the investigators and scientific community better understand and address child physical activity and health. This study will collect information about middle school children's physical activity behaviors, habits, knowledge, and activity. The UTHealth School of Public Health is leading the study together with the University of Texas at Austin.

Conditions

Physical Activity

Keywords

physical activity; adolescent health; active transport; active leisure; middle school

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Child/adolescent physical activity

  Measured using Accelerometry to determine minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)

  Baseline, 12 months (initial effectiveness), and 24 months (sustainability)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Percentage of children/adolescents using active transport to/from school

  Data will be collected for 4 years in both fall and spring each year (Years 2-5) for 8 data points.

Study Arms (2)

Physical activity intervention co-produced by the community and investigators

EXPERIMENTAL

This intervention will engage multi-sectoral and multi-generational community members and middle school students for co-producing (co-design, co-implementation, and co-evaluation) contextually-responsive intervention strategies to improve access to active transport and leisure in three middle school communities.

Behavioral: Active Middle School Communities

Usual environmental and programmatic programs

NO INTERVENTION

During the trial, three comparison school communities will not receive the intervention and will engage in usual environmental and programmatic programs. After the trial is completed, these schools will receive a modified version of the programs and strategies developed in the intervention arm (delayed intervention).

Interventions

Active Middle School Communities BEHAVIORAL

This intervention will engage multi-sectoral and multi-generational community members and middle school students to co-produce (co-design, co-implementation, and co-evaluation) contextually-responsive intervention strategies to improve access to active transport and leisure, resulting in increased physical activity and decreased risk for chronic disease in middle school communities. This intervention will use community-based participatory methods, with resources provided for changes in the built environment around the school catchment area.

Physical activity intervention co-produced by the community and investigators

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 11 Years - 99 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Parent/guardian and child/adolescent dyads
• Child/adolescent must be enrolled in the 6th grade at participating schools at baseline
• Parent/guardian and child/adolescent must reside in the same household
• Parent/guardian and child/adolescent must reside within the school catchment area (school community)
• Parent/guardian must speak English or Spanish
• Child/adolescent must speak English

You may not qualify if:

• Child/adolescent has a condition that precludes or decreases participation in physical activity
• Child/adolescent cannot complete a written survey

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Deanna Hoelscher: lead
• University of Texas at Austin: collaborator
• National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Austin, Texas, 78701, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Central Study Contacts

Deanna M Hoelscher, PhD

CONTACT

(512) 391-2510; Deanna.M.Hoelscher@uth.tmc.edu

Deborah Salvo, PhD

CONTACT

408-386-5614; dsalvo@austin.utexas.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Regional Dean, Professor

Model Details: The intervention will be conducted in three middle school catchment areas, with three additional middle school catchment areas with usual programs used as comparison.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 11, 2025
• First Posted: May 14, 2025
• Study Start: March 2, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2028
• Last Updated: May 11, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)