Understanding the Impact of School-Based Physical Activity Programs

Tufts University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Physical Activity

Treatments: Behavioral: Classroom physical activity break program; Behavioral: Walking/Running program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT02810834

1R01HD080180-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

R01HD080180

Details and patient eligibility

About

The central hypothesis of the Fueling Learning Through Exercise (FLEX) study is two innovative school-based physical activity programs (a walking/running program and a classroom activity break program) will increase school-time and total daily minutes children engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, relative to controls, and that children who attend schools with these PA programs will demonstrate improved cognitive functioning, academic achievement, and attendance, relative to controls.

Full description

The FLEX Study is a three-year, randomized control trial that seeks to understand how two different innovative school-based physical activity (PA) programs influence not only children's time spent in MVPA but also their cognitive and academic outcomes. The FLEX Study will be implemented and evaluated by researchers from Tufts University. The project is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Schools participating in the study will be randomly assigned to receive a walking/running program, a classroom physical activity program, or no program (control) during first year and a half of the study. Third and fourth grade children will be enrolled in the study.

Physical activity will be assessed objectively using accelerometry. Additional measurements will include: BMI/BMI-z (measured height and weight), diet and physical activity questionnaires, cognitive functioning (tests of working memory and inhibitory control).

Enrollment: 1,182 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 7 to 11 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Children participants 3rd or 4th grade student in participating school (during first school year of study)

Exclusion criteria

Not a 3rd or 4th grade student

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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1,182 participants in 3 patient groups

Walking/Running Program

Experimental group

Description:

Walking/running/jogging program; school-based.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Walking/Running program

Classroom activity break program

Experimental group

Description:

Classroom physical activity break program; school-based.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Classroom physical activity break program

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Control/Delayed Intervention