Active Fundament - Fundamentally Better

NCT07315009 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: FHML-REC/2024/032RAAK.PRO05.034
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,000
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 3

Brief Summary

The objective of this longitudinal, quasi-experimental study is to improve children's fundamental motor skills and physical activity levels. In addition, the study aims to support pedagogical staff and educators in implementing physical activity during the workday, with the intention of facilitating a more supportive and enjoyable working environment that aligns with children's needs for physical activity. The study is conducted in 18 child centers, combining childcare and preschool settings. Participants include children aged 2-6 years and their pedagogical staff and teachers. The primary research questions addressed are:

• Can pedagogical staff and teachers be supported in increasing physical activity levels among children aged 2-6 years?
• Can a scalable intervention for child centers be developed that can be implemented in other regions following completion of the study? A total of nine intervention centers will be compared with nine control centers to determine whether observed effects can be attributed to the intervention. Children will participate in assessments of motor skills, wear accelerometers to measure physical activity levels, and take part in walk-along interviews and a draw-and-tell method. Parents will complete questionnaires. Pedagogical staff and teachers will complete questionnaires and participate in observational assessments. Management representatives of the child centers (both preschool and childcare) will participate in interviews and complete a questionnaire to construct an echogram.

Conditions

Physical Inactivity in Early Childhood and Care; Delayed Fundamental Motor Skill Development; Motor Development in Children Aged 2-6 Years; Physical Activity-Supportive Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Environment; Early Childhood & Care Physical Activity Behavior

Keywords

Child center; physical activity levels; preschool; childcare; motor skills

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Average daily light physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sedentary behavior in minutes, assessed by accelerometry

  Children's physical activity behavior will be objectively assessed using triaxial accelerometers (ActiGraph GT3X+). Accelerometers will be worn during waking hours for seven consecutive days. Physical activity data will be processed using validated pediatric cut-points to derive average daily time spent in light physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sedentary behavior. Outcomes will be reported as mean minutes per day for each activity intensity category per measurement period.

  One week of accelerometer measurement, repeated annually in the spring season for four consecutive years

• Pedagogical support for physical activity assessed by the Movement Environment Rating Scale (MOVERS)

  Pedagogical actions of teachers and caretakers that support children's physical activity will be assessed using the Movement Environment Rating Scale (MOVERS). MOVERS is an observational instrument designed for early childhood education and care settings and evaluates the extent to which pedagogical practices and environmental characteristics promote physical activity and motor development. The scale consists of four domains and yields a total score ranging from 1 to 7, with higher scores indicating a more supportive physical activity environment and higher-quality pedagogical practices. Observations will be conducted during a full day in childcare and preschool settings by trained observers.

  Assessed at baseline, mid-intervention, and at study completion (approximately 3 years)

• Self-reported pedagogical physical activity practices assessed by questionnaire

  Pedagogical staff's self-reported practices related to promoting physical activity and fundamental motor skills will be assessed using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire captures frequency and type of physical activity-related pedagogical actions during the workday. Outcomes will be summarized as mean scores per domain, with higher scores indicating greater engagement in physical activity-supportive practices.

  Assessed at baseline and annually thereafter during the spring season, through study completion (up to 4 years)

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Motor competence assessed by the Athletic Skills Track (AST)

  Assessed at baseline and annually thereafter during the spring season, through study completion (up to 4 years)

• Motor competence assessed by the 4 Skills Scan (4SS) test

  Assessed at baseline and annually thereafter during the spring season, through study completion (up to 4 years)

• Parental involvement in the child center and child physical activity assessed by questionnaire

  Assessed at baseline and annually thereafter during the spring season, through study completion (up to 4 years)

Study Arms (2)

Childeren in ECEC settings

EXPERIMENTAL

2-6 year olds

Behavioral: Actief Fundament

Professionals in ECEC settings

EXPERIMENTAL

Pedagogical and educational staff including management

Behavioral: Actief Fundament

Interventions

Actief Fundament BEHAVIORAL

In procesmeetings with the intervention centers we will discuss possible changes to improve physical activity levels of children. Activities and changes will be based on the measurement outcomes.

Childeren in ECEC settings; Professionals in ECEC settings

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 2 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Children must be in the child center in the recruitment period(s)
• Professionals in ECEC and management must be working at the child center during the recruitment period.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Fontys University of Applied Sciences: lead

Study Sites (3)

Maastricht University

Maastricht, Limburg, 6211 LK, Netherlands

RECRUITING

Fontys Sport en Bewegen

Eindhoven, North Brabant, 5644HZ, Netherlands

RECRUITING

Hogeschool van Amsterdam

Amsterdam, North Holland, 1067SM, Netherlands

RECRUITING

Related Links

• Study project website
• Project funding

Study Officials

• Dave van Kann, PhD

  Fontys University of Applied Sciences

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Jessica Gubbels, Associate Professor

  Maastricht University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Jasper de Graef, Master of Arts

CONTACT

+31623635013; j.degraef@fontys.nl

Dave van Kann, PhD

CONTACT

+31627349611; d.vankann@fontys.nl

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Teacher-researcher (PhD Candidate)

Model Details: Longitudinal, Quasi-experimental.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 4, 2025
• First Posted: January 2, 2026
• Study Start: January 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027
• Last Updated: January 2, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-12

Locations

NL (3)