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School and Family-Based Obesity Prevention in Pakistani Primary School Children

NCT07616232 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 2340

Last updated 2026-06-01

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Childhood obesity is increasing rapidly in Pakistan, but there are no large, high-quality studies testing ways to prevent it in schools. This study aims to find out if a 9-month program involving health education, daily physical activity, parent workshops, and regular feedback via WhatsApp or SMS can reduce the number of primary school children who are overweight or obese.

The study is a cluster randomized controlled trial. A total of 26 primary schools in three cities of Punjab (Lahore, Sahiwal, Bahawalnagar) will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group (13 schools) or the control group (13 schools). Children in grades 3, 4, and 5 (aged 6-12 years) will take part.

In the intervention schools, children will receive 18 health education sessions, daily 45 minutes of physical activity, and monthly weight and height checks. Parents will attend three workshops and receive weekly messages and monthly feedback on their child's progress via WhatsApp or SMS. The control schools will continue their usual activities and receive the intervention materials after the study ends.

The main outcome is the change in the proportion of children who are overweight or obese from the start of the study to 9 months later. Secondary outcomes include changes in BMI z-score, waist circumference, physical activity, eating habits, and parents' knowledge. A follow-up assessment at 12 months will check if any benefits last.

Recruitment of schools and children began on January 8, 2026. This is the first cluster randomized trial of its kind in Pakistan. The results will help inform childhood obesity prevention policies in low- and middle-income countries.

Conditions

  • Childhood Obesity Pevention

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

School-Family Obesity Prevention Program (SFOPP)

Behavioral intervention based on the Social Ecological Model, delivered over 9 months. Child components: 18 biweekly sessions (40 min each) of health education (nutrition, physical activity, screen time reduction) and thematic workshops; daily 45 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; monthly BMI measurement by trained staff; weekly self-weighing. Parent components: three workshops covering health messages, WhatsApp training, and feedback on child's progress; encouragement of 30-60 minutes daily activity outside school. mHealth: weekly automated WhatsApp/SMS messages with health tips; monthly personalized feedback on child's BMI and behavior change. Tiered system for parents without smartphones (SMS or paper booklets). Fidelity monitoring via field observations and digital logs.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Central South University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Qin Jiabi, PHD · Kunming Medical University

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
6 Years
Max Age
12 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-12-08
Primary Completion
2026-09-08
Completion
2026-12-08

Countries

  • Pakistan

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07616232 on ClinicalTrials.gov