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A Parental Support Intervention for Children's Nature-Based Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial

NCT07674641 · Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 90

Last updated 2026-06-29

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This three-arm randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of an 8-week, WeChat-based parental support intervention designed to increase parents' support for children's physical activity in outdoor natural spaces. Participants were randomly assigned to a Self-Determination Theory plus identity intervention group, a Self-Determination Theory intervention group, or an education control group. Across the intervention period, each group received two articles per week via a WeChat Official Account, which were disseminated through condition-specific WeChat groups.

The primary outcome was parental support for children's physical activity in outdoor natural spaces. Secondary outcomes included children's physical activity in outdoor natural spaces and theory-based psychological variables related to parental support. Assessments were conducted at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 8 weeks after the intervention had ended. Findings are intended to inform the development of feasible, theory-informed digital interventions to enhance parental support for children's nature-based physical activity.

Conditions

  • Health Behavior
  • Physical Activity Promotion

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Self-Determination Theory plus identity intervention group

Participants in this group received an 8-week WeChat-based parental support intervention designed to increase parents' support for children's physical activity in outdoor natural spaces. The intervention content was grounded in Self-Determination Theory and focused on enhancing parents' autonomy, competence, and relatedness in supporting their children's outdoor nature-based physical activity. In addition, this arm included identity-focused content designed to strengthen parents' support identity, helping parents view the provision of support for children's physical activity in outdoor natural spaces as consistent with their role as supportive parents. Two articles were delivered each week via a WeChat Official Account and disseminated through the condition-specific WeChat group, resulting in 16 articles in total.

BEHAVIORAL

Self-Determination Theory intervention group

Participants in this group received an 8-week WeChat-based parental support intervention grounded in Self-Determination Theory. The intervention focused on enhancing parents' autonomy, competence, and relatedness in supporting their children's physical activity in outdoor natural spaces. The content was designed to help parents recognise the value of supporting children's outdoor nature-based physical activity, increase their confidence in providing practical support, and foster supportive parent-child interactions around outdoor activity participation. Two articles were delivered each week via a WeChat Official Account and disseminated through the condition-specific WeChat group, resulting in 16 articles in total. This group served as a theory-based comparator intervention to examine the additional contribution of the identity-focused component.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • South China Normal University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Ru Zhang · South China Normal University

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

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

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-11-06
Primary Completion
2026-07-31
Completion
2026-07-31

Countries

  • China

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 NCT07674641 on ClinicalTrials.gov