Impacting Children's Physical and Mental Health Through Kinesiology Support in Clinical Care

Summary

Over the past four decades, it has become clear that childhood physical activity carries with it a myriad of beneficial effects. It is closely linked to quality of life and the recognized benefits include, but are not limited to, optimal growth and development, a healthier self-concept, enhanced peer socialization, and decreased anxiety and depression. Long term, an active lifestyle decreases the risk of many important physical and mental morbidities. Thus, the observation that children living with medical conditions and disabilities (MC\&D) today, although surviving longer thanks to advances in medical care, are much less active than their peers is a matter of significant concern. Research indicates that the 350,000 Ontario children with MC\&D have lower levels of physical activity, higher screen time and more frequent sleep problems.

While the reasons underlying this reality are complex, previous research has identified a substantial subset of children who are motivated to be active but lack the confidence to do so. Fear of pain, concern for MC\&D exacerbation and a lack of confidence in individual physical movement capacity contribute to their hesitation. Clinical experience suggests that these children represent 50% to 70% of inactive patients. Research indicates that being motivated to make a change and having the confidence that the desired change can be achieved are the essential precursors upon which successful behaviour change initiatives are built. This randomized, controlled trial will explore whether group sessions with a Registered Kinesiologist lead to a direct bolstering of physical activity confidence, and in turn to increased and sustained physical activity in these children. Such an approach holds the promise of a nonpharmacologic, low cost and accessible means of enhancing health that shall be met with a high level of patient and family support while bringing a significant societal and medical return on investment.

Conditions

• Congenital Heart Defect
• Chronic Pain
• Concussion Post Syndrome
• Cerebral Palsy
• Neuromuscular Diseases
• Physical Disability

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Kinesiology Support

12 week physical activity group led by Kinesiologist. The intervention will be used to increase confidence in the participants by providing physical activity education and a variety of activities.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Physicians' Services Incorporated Foundation

  collaborator OTHER

• Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Patricia Longmuir, PhD · Children's Hopsital of Eastern Ontario, Research Institute

• Hana Alazem, MD · Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

8 Years

Max Age

17 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-11-04

Primary Completion

2022-10-31

Completion

2022-12-31

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations