Family Planning to Promote Regular Physical Activity

Summary

The primary research question is:

1\) Does the planning condition improve adherence to regular physical activity compared to the control condition at six months? Hypothesis: Adherence will be higher for the planning condition in comparison to the more standard physical activity education condition. The effect may wane over time from the initial measurement period but all outcomes will remain significantly higher at six months.

Secondary Research Questions

1. Does the planning condition improve motivational, health-related quality of life, and health-related fitness outcomes compared to the control condition at six months?

Hypothesis: The planning condition will not affect intentions or underlying motives (theory of planned behaviour constructs) for physical activity because its effect on behavior is to tie initial intentions better to behavioural action (i.e., behavioural regulation) and not to enhance motivation. Health-related fitness and quality of life, however, will be higher for the planning condition in comparison to the standard physical activity education intervention condition. The effect may wane over time from the initial measurement period but all outcomes will remain significantly higher at six months in the planning condition compared to the standard physical activity education group.
2. Can group differences among these motivational, behavioural, and health-related fitness outcomes be explained through a mediation model? Hypothesis: The covariance of the assigned conditions (planning, education) on use/adherence will be explained by planning and use of behavioural regulation strategies (i.e., manipulation check). In turn, the covariance between planning and behavioural regulation strategies and health-related outcomes will be explained by physical activity adherence among conditions.
3. Can motivational variables predict adherence? Do these differ by condition?

Hypothesis: The approach will test Ajzen's theory of planned behavior, extended by the concept of active planning. Affective attitude and perceived behavioural control will predict intention, intention will predict planning and planning will predict adherence across conditions.
4. Is there an intergenerational, seasonal, or gender difference across primary outcomes by assigned condition? Hypothesis: Children will show greater adherence to the planning condition than their parents. No differences in gender or season are hypothesized but these are exploratory research questions because there is limited research at present to make any definitive statement.

Conditions

• Physical Activity

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Family physical activity planning

This material will include skill training content (workbook how to plan for family physical activity) and practical material to create a plan (i.e., a colourful dry erase wall calendar for family activities with fridge magnets). The skill training material for planning is based on several streams of prior work in the adult physical activity literature. Families were instructed to plan for "when," "where," "how," and "what" physical activity will be performed commensurate with the creation of implementation intentions/action planning. The workbook, however, also focuses on problem solving barriers to physical activity which is more akin to coping planning and traditional goal setting.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Dalhousie University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of British Columbia

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Victoria

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Ryan Rhodes, PhD · University of Victoria

• Chris Blanchard, PhD · Dalhousie University

• Darren Warburton, PhD · University of British Columbia

• Patti Jean Naylor, PhD · University of Victoria

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

6 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2012-06-30

Primary Completion

2016-08-31

Completion

2016-08-31

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations