The Active by Choice Today (ACT) Trial to Increase Physical Activity

NCT ID: NCT01028144

Last Updated: 2023-01-19

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: PHASE1/PHASE2
• Total Enrollment: 1422 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2004-07-31
• Study Completion Date: 2009-05-31

Brief Summary

The increasing prevalence of obesity in U.S. children and adolescents is a major health threat to our society, especially among minority and low social economic status (SES) populations. During adolescence physical activity (PA) decreases and is likely an important contributor to the increasing trend in childhood obesity rates. Little evidence suggests that school-based curriculum interventions lead to increases in overall PA. Thus, this proposal will evaluate the efficacy of an innovative motivational and behavioral skills after-school program for promoting increases PA among underserved adolescents (e.g., minorities, low SES). The motivational plus behavioral skills intervention is consistent with Self-Determination (Motivation) Theory and Social Cognitive Theory in that it emphasizes increasing intrinsic motivation and behavioral skills for PA. Adolescents in the intervention take part in developing the program, selecting physical activities that generate fun and interest, and generating their own coping strategies for making effective PA changes during a videotaped session. Preliminary data from our group demonstrates the feasibility of the motivational plus behavioral skills PA program for increasing moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in underserved adolescents in South Carolina. The proposed project will use a school-based nested cohort design to evaluate efficacy of a 17-week motivational plus behavioral skills program versus typical after-school program (general health education only) on increasing PA in underserved adolescents. Twenty-four middle schools (70 6th graders per school; N=1,680), located in South Carolina will be randomly assigned to one of two after-school programs. The study employs a nested cohort design, with schools, rather than individuals assigned to condition and will be analyzed using repeated measures analysis of covariance techniques as outlined by Murray. We will also examine psychosocial variables (PA self-efficacy, self-concept, motivation, social support, and enjoyment) as potential mediators of the intervention on changes in MVPA using regression and structural equation modeling techniques. This study will address an important public health problem that will have implications for decreasing obesity in underserved adolescents.

Conditions

Exercise; Physical Activity; Obesity

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

ACT Program

Motivational and Behavioral Skills Physical activity after-school program

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Physical Activity Program

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

A 17-week motivational and behavioral skills after-school intervention for increasing moderate to vigorous physical activity in low income and minority adolescents.

General Health

General health education after-school program

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

General Health Program

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

A 17-week general health afterschool intervention (comparison program) focused on nutrition, stress management, drug prevention, and drop-out prevention.

Interventions

Physical Activity Program

A 17-week motivational and behavioral skills after-school intervention for increasing moderate to vigorous physical activity in low income and minority adolescents.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

General Health Program

A 17-week general health afterschool intervention (comparison program) focused on nutrition, stress management, drug prevention, and drop-out prevention.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

ACT; Comparison

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• parental consent
• agree to random assignment
• 6th grade student

Exclusion Criteria

• medical condition that interfered with physical activity
• developmentally delayed such that the intervention materials were not cognitively appropriate
• currently in treatment for a psychiatric disorder

• Minimum Eligible Age: 10 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 13 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of South Carolina

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Dawn Wilson

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Dawn K Wilson, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of South Carolina

Heather E Kitzman-Ulrich, PhD

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

University of South Carolina

Locations

University of South Carolina

Columbia, South Carolina, United States

Countries

United States

References

Wilson DK, Kitzman-Ulrich H, Williams JE, Saunders R, Griffin S, Pate R, Van Horn ML, Evans A, Hutto B, Addy CL, Mixon G, Sisson SB. An overview of "The Active by Choice Today" (ACT) trial for increasing physical activity. Contemp Clin Trials. 2008 Jan;29(1):21-31. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2007.07.001. Epub 2007 Jul 17.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 17716952 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

R01HD045693

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

Pro00005526

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id