Active Families, Healthy Minds: A Family-Centered School Physical Activity Program for Early Adolescents

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Family-Supported PA Program: Consists of two components: School component: Structured aerobic games and skills practice delivered by PE teachers twice a week. Home component: Weekly parent-child joint activity routines (one weekday, one weekend) supported by goal-setting sheets. Parents receive weekly WeChat prompts to facilitate planning and positive communication.

School-Only PA Program: Consists of structured aerobic games and skills practice delivered by PE teachers twice a week (same frequency and intensity as the family intervention). Participants receive general health education handouts but do not engage in structured family routines or receive home-based support.

Standard Physical Education: Participants continue with the standard school curriculum and routine physical education classes. No additional structured activities or materials are provided during the study period.

Study summary

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a family-centered school physical activity program, titled "Active Families, Healthy Minds," designed to improve mental health among early adolescents (ages 10-14) in China.

In response to high academic pressure and low physical activity levels, this program integrates structured physical education sessions at school with simple, interactive home-based activity routines involving parents. The study compares this family-supported intervention against a standard school-only physical activity program and a wait-list control group. The primary goal is to determine if involving parents in school-based physical activity initiatives leads to better mental well-being, increased habitual physical activity, and stronger family support compared to school-only approaches.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Mental Well-being (WEMWBS) — Baseline, 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months
  Assessed using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS). The scale contains 14 positively worded items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (from 1 = 'none of the time' to 5 = 'all of the time'). Total scores range from 14 to 70, with higher scores indicating better mental well-being.

Trial sites (1)

More Jinan University Guangzhou trials in China

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