12-Week Family-Based Multicomponent Program to Improve 24-Hour Movement Behaviors in Parents and Children

Summary

This study assessed a 12-week, family-oriented program intended to promote healthier 24-hour movement patterns among school-age children and their parents in Chile. Parent-child pairs volunteered from two private schools and one public school, and schools were used to determine group assignment in a parallel, non-randomized, open-label design.

The intervention blended brief weekly digital guidance for parents (concise infographics/videos and actionable tips sent via email/WhatsApp) with three in-person family sessions (a functional-training class, parent-child modified games, and an outdoor trekking activity) led by a Physical Education teacher with support from school staff. The comparison group continued usual routines and completed the same assessments.

Outcomes were collected at baseline and after the intervention period (post-intervention window around Week 16). The primary outcome was the change in children's out-of-school moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) estimated with the Youth Activity Profile-Spain/Latin America version (YAP-SL). Secondary outcomes encompassed children's in-school and weekend MVPA, sedentary time, and sleep duration, as well as parents' MVPA and sedentary time (IPAQ-Short Form) and perceived physical fitness for both parents and children (International Fitness Scale, IFIS). Potential intervention-related adverse events during face-to-face activities and those reported between sessions were monitored.

The institutional ethics committee approved the protocol and the intervention was considered minimal risk. This is a retrospective registration completed after study execution at the request of the sponsor. An exploratory mediation analysis is planned to examine plausible pathways linking the program to changes in MVPA.

Conditions

• Physical Activity
• Sedentary Behaviors
• Exercise
• Sleep
• Physical Fitness
• Health Promotion

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Family-Based 12-Week Multicomponent Program

Weekly digital materials to parents (email/WhatsApp) + three on-site sessions (\~90 min each: functional training; modified games; outdoor trekking); 12 weeks total; delivered by a Physical Education teacher; attendance and delivery logs for fidelity.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo

  collaborator OTHER

• Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Fernando Javier Rodríguez-Rodríguez, PhD · Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV)

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

8 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-05-01

Primary Completion

2023-10-31

Completion

2023-11-30

Countries

• Chile

Study Locations