Abstract
Many children are not sufficiently physically active. We conducted a cluster-randomised feasibility trial of a revised after-school physical activity (PA) programme delivered by trained teaching assistants (TAs) to assess the potential evidence of promise for increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Participants (n = 335) aged 8–10 years were recruited from 12 primary schools in South West England. Six schools were randomised to receive the intervention and six acted as non-intervention controls. In intervention schools, TAs were trained to deliver an after-school programme for 15 weeks. The difference in mean accelerometer-assessed MVPA between intervention and control schools was assessed at follow-up (T1). The cost of programme delivery was estimated. Two schools did not deliver the intervention, meaning four intervention and six control schools were analysed at T1. There was no evidence for a difference in MVPA at T1 between intervention and control groups. Programme delivery cost was estimated at £2.06 per pupil per session. Existing provision in the 12 schools cost £5.91 per pupil per session. Action 3:30 was feasible to deliver and considerably cheaper than existing after-school provision. No difference in weekday MVPA was observed at T1 between the two groups, thus progression to a full trial is not warranted.
Highlights
Physical activity is associated with lower levels of cardiometabolic risk factors [1], lower risk of obesity [2] and improved psychological well-being in children and adolescents [3,4] and adults [2].Nationally representative data from the UK Millennium Cohort showed that only half of 8–9 year old’s in the UK engaged in the recommend 60 min of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activityInt
We have shown in this study and in our previous work [11] that training teaching assistants (TAs) to deliver an after-school physical activity programme is feasible within primary schools
No evidence was found that the Action 3:30R intervention increased physical activity compared with a control group, potentially because pupils were swapping one club for another instead of adding new activities
Summary
Physical activity is associated with lower levels of cardiometabolic risk factors [1], lower risk of obesity [2] and improved psychological well-being in children and adolescents [3,4] and adults [2].Nationally representative data from the UK Millennium Cohort showed that only half of 8–9 year old’s in the UK engaged in the recommend 60 min of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activityInt. Public Health 2019, 16, 131; doi:10.3390/ijerph16010131 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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