New Technologies as a Tool for Health Promotion in Schoolchildren of Compulsory Secondary Education

NCT ID: NCT04860128

Last Updated: 2023-09-07

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 400 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2021-04-28
• Study Completion Date: 2022-06-25

Brief Summary

The rapid development of new technologies could be one of the causes that has favored changes in the lifestyle habits of young people. Research carried out to date shows that new technologies could be useful in increasing levels of physical activity and motivation to practice sports. However, these studies have major limitations that make it difficult to generalize the results.

The objectives of the present project are: 1) to determine the influence of the use of new technologies on the levels of sports practice and the physical and psychological health of adolescents; 2) to analyze the effects of a physical-sports activity program that integrates new technologies through mobile applications related to physical exercise on the level of physical activity and the physical and psychological health of adolescents; and 3) to analyze the adherence that this type of program generates in the medium term in adolescents as a function of age and gender.

The project will be divided into two phases. In the first phase, 500 students from the centers of Compulsory Secondary Education will be included, who will undergo physical tests, questionnaires related to sports practice and physical and psychological health, and an anthropometric assessment. In the second phase, an intervention will be carried out with four experimental groups and a control group. The four experimental groups will use different technological applications outside school hours for 12 weeks. Participants will keep a weekly record of physical activity and pre-, post and re-test measurements will be taken to evaluate the efficacy of the sports technology applications in increasing and maintaining physical activity.

Conditions

Adolescent Behavior; Physical Activity; New Technologies

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: OTHER
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

"PACER" Application

It is an application that allows the recording of the sports activities performed. It includes alerts and reminders that allow you to plan your sports practice in advance, as well as a weekly record of the activities and kilometers run, and a comparative analysis with the previous week.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Sports technology application

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Each of the intervention groups will use in after-school hours a different mobile app for 12 weeks, with a frequency and duration of 60 minutes of training, at least three times a week. A weekly record will be kept by the adolescents in which they will have to indicate the weekly practice frequency, the duration of the activity and the kilometers covered through a report that the adolescents will deliver to the teacher at the end of each week.

"MapMyWalk" Application

It is an application that promotes the practice of physical activity by recording the sports activities that the subject performs, as well as the dissemination of the same in social networks and participation in challenges available to users around the world. In addition, this application includes reminders of physical activity and personal achievements to encourage the practice of sports.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Sports technology application

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Each of the intervention groups will use in after-school hours a different mobile app for 12 weeks, with a frequency and duration of 60 minutes of training, at least three times a week. A weekly record will be kept by the adolescents in which they will have to indicate the weekly practice frequency, the duration of the activity and the kilometers covered through a report that the adolescents will deliver to the teacher at the end of each week.

"Strava" Application

It is an application that promotes sports practice, nutritional habits and the necessary rest. Nutrition and sleep will be introduced as variables that favor a healthy lifestyle.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Sports technology application

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Each of the intervention groups will use in after-school hours a different mobile app for 12 weeks, with a frequency and duration of 60 minutes of training, at least three times a week. A weekly record will be kept by the adolescents in which they will have to indicate the weekly practice frequency, the duration of the activity and the kilometers covered through a report that the adolescents will deliver to the teacher at the end of each week.

"POKEMON GO" APPLICATION

It is a mobile game that favors the increase of physical activity because it is necessary to walk to achieve the proposed objectives.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Sports technology application

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Each of the intervention groups will use in after-school hours a different mobile app for 12 weeks, with a frequency and duration of 60 minutes of training, at least three times a week. A weekly record will be kept by the adolescents in which they will have to indicate the weekly practice frequency, the duration of the activity and the kilometers covered through a report that the adolescents will deliver to the teacher at the end of each week.

Control Group

They will not use any type of sports technology application. They will continue to perform their daily activities without intervention.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Sports technology application

Each of the intervention groups will use in after-school hours a different mobile app for 12 weeks, with a frequency and duration of 60 minutes of training, at least three times a week. A weekly record will be kept by the adolescents in which they will have to indicate the weekly practice frequency, the duration of the activity and the kilometers covered through a report that the adolescents will deliver to the teacher at the end of each week.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Be a student of compulsory secondary education
• Not present any disease or surgical operation that would prevent the performance of the physical tests or the follow-up of the established intervention.
• Complete the questionnaires provided and carry out the established tests in their entirety
• Have access to any mobile device that allows access to the technological sports applications used in the intervention.

Exclusion Criteria

• Failure to complete the questionnaires provided and/or to take the prescribed tests in their entirety
• Failure to complete scheduled intervention activities.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 12 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 16 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Raquel Vaquero-Cristóbal

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Adrián Mateo-Orcajada, MSc

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Universidad Católica San Antonio

Locations

Universidad Católica San Antonio

Murcia, , Spain

Countries

Spain

References

Gomez-Cuesta N, Mateo-Orcajada A, Merono L, Abenza-Cano L, Vaquero-Cristobal R. A mobile app-based intervention improves anthropometry, body composition and fitness, regardless of previous active-inactive status: a randomized controlled trial. Front Public Health. 2024 Aug 12;12:1380621. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1380621. eCollection 2024.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 39193194 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

CE022102

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id