"We Are an Active Family": Promoting Child Physical Activity Through Social Identity Formation in the Family System

University of Victoria

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Physical Activity; Social Identity

Treatments: Behavioral: Social Identity

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05794789

23-0022

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of our study is to explore the effectiveness of physical activity (PA) identity formation in the family system as a promotor of long-term PA. The primary research question is:

Does a family identity formation condition (with education+planning) result in increased child moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) compared to a standard comparison education and planning condition at six months? Hypothesis: Child MVPA will be higher for the identity formation condition in comparison to the more standard PA education+planning condition at six months.

Full description

The secondary research questions will include:

1. Does the identity formation condition improve child health-related fitness outcomes compared to the education and planning condition at six months? Hypothesis: Child health-related fitness will be higher for the identity formation condition in comparison to the education and planning condition.
2. Can group differences among behavioural, and health-related fitness outcomes be explained through a mediation model? Hypothesis: The covariance of the assigned conditions (identity formation, planning + education) on child MVPA will be explained by parental support, and through parental support identity (i.e., manipulation check). In turn, the covariance between support and health-related outcomes will be explained by MVPA among conditions. In the case of null outcomes for research question #1, the investigators will instead explore a prediction model of these variables rather than a mediation model.
3. Is there an intergenerational, seasonal, or sex difference across primary outcomes by assigned condition? Hypothesis: Parents in the identity formation condition will show higher physical activity via some activities being performed with their children (as part of social identity) in comparison to the other condition. No differences in child sex or season are hypothesized based on past research.

Enrollment: 148 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 6 to 12 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Participants will be at least one parent with at least one child between the ages of 6 and 12 years.
• Families (parents and/or guardians and children) residing in Greater Victoria, Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Duncan, Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, Burnaby, British Columbia.
• Children that participate in <60 minutes/day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA)

Exclusion criteria

• If child is meeting the current physical activity guidelines >=60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day.
• If participant does not pass Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PARQ)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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148 participants in 2 patient groups

PA education and planning condition

No Intervention group

Description:

This group will receive sessions and information-based booklet and series of worksheets that provide a tangible knowledge translation product for the family. The material will consist of Canada's PA guidelines recommending 60 minutes of MVPA a day and a breakdown of ways for the parent to help their child achieve this PA, outlining three main domains of parental support (encouragement, logistical support, and PA together). The material also contains information about the benefits of PA for the child and how to plan for family PA. The material specifically includes a brainstorming exercise for parents where they list physical activities they think their children have found fun in the past. The investigators will provide this material as prompts/suggestions. This list helps create the template for PA planning by contextualizing what the parents would like to do with their kids. An additional two sessions will include education and planning material related to family healthy eating.

Identity formation condition

Experimental group

Description:

This group will receive the same content as the education+planning comparison condition but with two additional coaching sessions. The session will include short overviews of the benefits of PA as a family, brainstorming how a family can each assist each other in PA, and an activity for developing a family PA action plan. Behavior change techniques that align with these approaches and are included in the coaching session include identity salience, identity similarity, as well as identity fit and contrast. This will be supplemented by an organization of fun family PA roles for all members (e.g., activity planner, goal setter, supporter, etc.) to instill involvement as well as items (creation of a family PA t-shirt, family PA photos and display, etc.) to instill distinctiveness, which is a central feature of a social identity.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Social Identity