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. 2022 May 23:10:870281.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.870281. eCollection 2022.

Effectiveness of a Parent-Focused Intervention Targeting 24-H Movement Behaviors in Preschool-Aged Children: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Jie Feng  1 , Wendy Yajun Huang  2 , Cindy Hui-Ping Sit  3
Affiliations

Effectiveness of a Parent-Focused Intervention Targeting 24-H Movement Behaviors in Preschool-Aged Children: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Jie Feng et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Interventions targeting single behaviors of preschool-aged children have been mainstream for some time, but integrated interventions targeting all three 24-h movement behaviors (physical activity [PA], sedentary behavior [SB], and sleep hygiene) are less studied. The aims of this study will be to test the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a parent-focused intervention for preschool-aged children targeting multiple 24-h movement behaviors.

Methods: This three-arm randomized controlled trial will comprise a 12-week intervention and a 12-week follow-up. A total of 150 parent-child dyads will be recruited and randomly allocated to one of three arms: (1) a PA + SB group (dyadic approach), (2) a PA + SB + sleep group (integrated approach), and (3) a wait-list control group. The theory of planned behavior and behavioral change techniques will guide the development of the intervention via workshops, education materials, interactive questionnaires, and reminders. The intervention strategies for the integrated group will be the same as for the dyadic approach except that the intervention will also target sleep hygiene in addition to PA and SB. The primary outcomes will be preschoolers' 24-h movement behaviors (e.g., activity sleep index, compositional data of PA, SB, screen time, and sleep duration). The secondary outcomes will be preschoolers' sleep quality, weight status, cognitive function, and parents' movement behaviors. The feasibility and acceptability of the intervention will also be evaluated.

Discussion: The proposed study will be a theory-based, parent-focused intervention designed to improve all three 24-h movement behaviors among preschoolers. The trial is expected to improve preschoolers' movement behaviors and health outcomes, as well as their parents' movement behaviors. Given the urgent need to promote active lifestyles, our findings will help to determine best practices for movement behavior change among young children.

Trial registration: The study is prospectively registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200055958).

Keywords: physical activity; preschooler; randomized controlled trial; sedentary behavior; sleep; study protocol.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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