Dyadic Physical Activity Intervention for Children Undergoing Cancer Treatment

NCT07737418 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: Dyadic PA Child Cancer
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 198
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to learn if a parent-child dyadic physical activity (PA) intervention works to improve physical activity levels in children with leukaemia. It will also learn about the intervention's effects on children's self-confidence in doing physical activity and their quality of life. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does the dyadic PA intervention increase the amount of physical activity children do, compared with an individual PA intervention or usual care? Does the dyadic PA intervention improve children's confidence in doing physical activity and their overall quality of life? What is the cost-effectiveness of the dyadic intervention relative to the individual intervention and psychological support control group? Researchers will compare three groups: children and parents doing physical activity together (dyadic intervention), children doing physical activity individually (individual intervention), and children receiving psychological support sessions only (control group), to see if involving parents makes a difference. Participants will: Attend weekly sessions for 3 months (12 sessions total) Wear an activity tracker for 7 days and complete questionnaires at 5 different time points over 12 months Some participants will also be invited to take part in an interview about their experience

Conditions

Leukemia; Physical Inactivity

Keywords

Leukemia; Physical Activity; Self-Efficacy; Parent-Child Dyad; Quality of Life; Randomized Controlled Trial; Maintenance Therapy; Under treatment; Exercise; Dyadic intervention; Pediatric oncology

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Physical Activity Level

  Children's physical activity levels will be objectively measured using ActiGraph GT3X accelerometers, worn for 7 consecutive days at each assessment timepoint. The primary outcome is the minutes engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).

  Baseline and 12 months（T4）

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Self-Reported Physical Activity Level

  Baseline, 3 months (T1), 6 months (T2), 9 months (T3), and 12 months (T4)

• Health-Related Quality of Life Score (EQ-5D-Y-5L)

  Baseline, 3 months (T1), 6 months (T2), 9 months (T3), and 12 months (T4)

• Physical Activity Self-Efficacy Score

  Baseline, 3 months (T1), 6 months (T2), 9 months (T3), and 12 months (T4)

Study Arms (3)

Dyadic Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Parent-child dyads complete a 3-month, 12-session physical activity program together, with intensity tailored to each child.

Behavioral: Dyadic Physical Activity Intervention

Individual Intervention

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Children complete the same 3-month, 12 weekly sessions physical activity program as the dyadic group, but without parental participation.

Behavioral: Individual Intervention

Control

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Children receive 12 weekly sessions of simple psychological support over 3 months, without a physical activity component.

Behavioral: Psychological Support

Interventions

Dyadic Physical Activity Intervention BEHAVIORAL

Parent-child dyads receive a structured physical activity intervention delivered by a trained Research Assistant over 12 weekly sessions across 3 months. Parents perform the physical activity together with their child in each session. Exercise intensity is individually tailored to each child.

Dyadic Intervention

Individual Intervention BEHAVIORAL

Children receive the same structured 12-session, weekly physical activity intervention as the dyadic group, delivered over 3 months by a trained Research Assistant, without parental participation. Exercise intensity is individually tailored to each child.

Individual Intervention

Psychological Support BEHAVIORAL

Children receive 12 weekly sessions of simple psychological support over 3 months, delivered by a trained Research Assistant, without a physical activity component.

Control

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 9 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Children aged 9-18 years old
• Diagnosed with leukaemia
• Currently undergoing maintenance therapy
• Have a parent willing to participate in the study
• Both the child and participating parent speak Cantonese and read Chinese

You may not qualify if:

• Children under palliative care with evidence of cancer recurrence or second malignancies
• Children with medical contraindications for PA, such as thrombosis, as documented by physicians
• Children or parents with physical impairment or cognitive and learning problems (identified from medical records)
• Participants in the team's other interventional studies

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Leukemia; Sedentary Behavior; Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms; Hematologic Diseases; Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases; Behavior

Central Study Contacts

Ka Wai Katherine LAM

CONTACT

+852 27666420; kw-katherine.lam@polyu.edu.hk

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 24, 2026
• First Posted: July 30, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): January 1, 2027
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2030
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2030
• Last Updated: July 31, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07