Promoting Physical Activity in Secondary School Students Through a Multicomponent School-Day Program in Spain

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating a multicomponent school-based intervention designed to increase physical activity levels during the school day for adolescents aged 11 to 16 years. The study compares students in 10 schools in Spain, divided between an intervention group and a control group, to assess impacts on physical activity, health, education, and cognitive outcomes over six months. This research aims to understand how active classes, breaks, and recesses can influence various aspects of adolescent well-being and school experience. The intervention includes three parts one physically active class per week, two daily active breaks guided by a digital platform featuring an avatar, and daily active recesses promoting physical activity through environmental changes, sports equipment, and organized activities. Five schools with about 400 students receive the intervention, while five other schools with similar numbers continue usual academic classes without changes. The intervention lasts for six months with assessments before, during, and after the program. Participants will wear accelerometers to measure physical activity and sedentary time at baseline, weeks 8 and 16, and at the end of the intervention. Health-related fitness tests, body composition measurements, academic performance records, questionnaires on quality of life and self-perceived health, and cognitive tests will also be collected. Researchers will analyze these data to determine changes in activity levels, fitness, health, school engagement, cognition, and motivation, with safety and feasibility monitored throughout the study period.

Effectiveness of a Multicomponent Intervention to Promote Physical Activity Levels During the School Day (MOVESCHOOL)