NCT07168759

Brief Summary

The goal of this observational study is to investigate if VR game-based educational intervention can enhance primary schoolchildren's compliance with hygiene practices to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other upper respiratory pathogens in the community. The main questions the study aims to answer are, after receiving the VR game-based education intervention:

  • Does VR game-based educational intervention improve hygiene-practice compliance in primary schoolchildren?
  • What are the bacterial loads on primary schoolchildren's hands?
  • What are the rates of infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses in primary schoolchildren? Researchers will compare the interventional group to the control group to see if VR game-based educational intervention can enhance primary schoolchildren's hygiene practices. Participants will
  • Receive in a training programme on hygiene practices through playing VR games for two weeks, 1 hour per week.
  • Do a questionnaire on hygiene knowledge before and after receiving the education programme
  • Provide hand swabs and saliva samples before and after receiving the education programme

Trial Health

55
Monitor

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Trial has exceeded expected completion date
Enrollment
2,160

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started May 2023

Typical duration for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
enrolling by invitation

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

May 2, 2023

Completed
2.2 years until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

July 17, 2025

Completed
2 months until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

September 11, 2025

Completed
2 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

October 31, 2025

Completed
1 month until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 1, 2025

Completed
Last Updated

September 11, 2025

Status Verified

June 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

2.5 years

First QC Date

July 17, 2025

Last Update Submit

September 4, 2025

Conditions

Healthy Participants

Keywords

VR gamesHygiene complianceHand hygieneUpper respiratory tract infectionsSchoolchildren

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

  • Change from baseline in the compliance with hygiene practices immediately after intervention

    Knowledge of hygiene practices assessed through a true/false questionnaire.

    Day 0, Month 1, Month 2

  • Change from baseline in the number of participants who comply with hand washing procedures immediately after intervention

    Hand washing procedure compliance measured using video recordings.

    Day 0, Month 1, Month 2

  • Change from baseline in the number of bacteria on the hands of the participants immediately after intervention

    Bacterial counts on the hands of participants will be assessed using hand swab sampling and quantitative microbiological analysis. Specifically, hand swabs will be collected from the participants before and after intervention. This will be followed by using plate count method to detect the number of bacterial cells present on the hand swabs collected from the participants.

    Day 0, Month 1, Month 2

  • Change from baseline in the vaccination uptake rates by the participants immediately after intervention

    Data on vaccination uptake rates will be collected from the participants using a standardized questionnaire before and after intervention. The data will be aggregated to calculate the percentage change in vaccination uptake rates from pre- to post-intervention.

    Day 0, Month 1, Month 2

Study Arms (2)

Intervention group

EXPERIMENTAL

School children will participate in a VR game-based education programme

Other: VR game -based education program

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

Schoolchildren in this group will receive the usual health education

Interventions

VR game -based education programOTHER

The schoolchildren in the intervention group participate in an innovative VR game-based educational programme featuring: (1) Web-based health education on (i) SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza virus transmission, (ii) proper hand and respiratory hygiene practices and (iii) the importance of rapid screening and vaccination in the prevention of upper respiratory tract infections.

Intervention group

Eligibility Criteria

Age6 Years - 12 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsChild (0-17)

You may qualify if:

  • Primary schoolchildren aged 6-12 years.
  • Able to communicate in Chinese and to read Chinese.

You may not qualify if:

  • Reported mental or physical health disorders.
  • Participated in other health educational programs related to hygiene practices 2 months or less before recruitment.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hong Kong, China

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Respiratory Tract Infections

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

InfectionsRespiratory Tract Diseases

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
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

July 17, 2025

First Posted

September 11, 2025

Study Start

May 2, 2023

Primary Completion

October 31, 2025

Study Completion

December 1, 2025

Last Updated

September 11, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations

CN(1)